ii 


A   REPORT 


ON  THE 


REPUBLIC  OF  HONDURAS. 


COL.  E.  P.  W  ATKINS, 


A  COMMISSIONER  APPOINTED  AT  A  PUBLIC  MEET- 
ING COMPOSED  OF  A  LARGE  NUMBER  OF 
THE  CITIZENS  OF  ATLANTA,  TO 
VISIT  THAT  PLACE. 


PRICE    FIFTY    CENTS. 


ATLANTA,  GA  : 

INTELLIGENCER    BOOK    AND    JOB    OFFICE. 
1867. 


THE    REPORT 

OF 
ON  THE 

REPUBLIC   OF    HONDURAS. 


On  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  March  last,  at  a  public  meeting 
of  some  of  the  citizens  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  held  at  the  City  Hall, 
I  was  appointed  a  commissioner  to  go  to  the  Republic  of  Hon- 
duras, Central  America,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  country, 
with  a  view  to  emigration.  In  obedience  to  my  commission,  I  left 
the  city  of  Atlanta  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of  April,  in  com- 
pany with  Major  G.  Malcolm  and  his  colony,  destined  for  the  port 
of  Omoa,  Honduras.  We  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  3d  inst., 
and  at  once  repaired  to  the  wharf,  where  we  found  the  Tradewind, 
a  propellor  of  420  tons,  lying  in  wait  for  us.  We  immediately 
went  on  board,  paid  passages  of  fifty-five  dollars  in  currency,  and 
registered  for  Omoa.  At  5  o'clock  P.  M.,  Tuesday,  the  4th,  our 
craft  drew  out  from  her  moorings,  and  steamed  down  the  great 
Mississippi,  freighted  with  more  than  sixty  souls,  who,  for  rea- 
sons satisfactory  to  themselves,  had  gone  to  seek  a  new  home  in  a 
strange  land.  Early  the  next  morning  we  crossed  the  bar :  then 
commenced  the  rocking  of  the  old  ship  ;  and  very  soon  followed 
pale  faces  and  languid  brows.  The  sturdy  boys,  who  the  day  be- 
fore were  eager  for  the  table,  no  longer  rushed  to  meal  calls  ;  and 
their  stomachs  revolted  at  the  very  idea  of  roast  beef.  Thus  we 
had  it,  naught  to  be  seen  but  the  whirling  waters,  white  crested 
waves,  and  now  and  then  schools  of  flying-fish,  fleeing  from  the 
path  of  our  ship,  until  11  o'clock  A.  M./Wednesday,  the  10th, 
when  we  cast  anchor  in  front  of  the  old  fort  at  Omoa,  under  a 
frowning  old  twenty-four  pounder,  which  stands  on  the  ramparts 
of  that  venerable  structure,  which,  for  more  than  a  century,  has 
withstood  the  throes  of  political  convulsions  of  the  land  she  was 
bade  defend.  Very  soon  the  Commandant  and  the  Collector 
of  Customs,  in  full  uniform,  approached  our  vessel,  came  aboard, 
and  upon  ascertaining  the  object  of  our  mission,  expressed  them- 
selves highly  pleased,  and  in  company  with  Major  Malcolm,  (who 
speaks  Spanish  very  well)  and  Captain  Champion,  of  the  boat,  soon 
returned  to  the  shore,  to  arrange  for  the  disembarkation.  These 
were  the  first  Honduranians  we  had  met,  and  finding  them  so  very 


polite  and  genteel,  we  were  very  much  gratified.  After  an  absence 
of  an  hour,  the  Major  returned,  and  informed  us  that  both  officers 
and  people  extended  to  us  a  most  cordial  welcome. 

A  large  Bungo,  manned  by  natives,  was  soon  along-side  the 
Trade  Wind,  and  after  an  hour's  work  all  were  ashore.  [This 
Bungo  was  made  solid  of  a  bungo  tree.  Dr.  Watkins,  Mr.  Tip- 
pens,  and  myself  measured  it — length  56  feet,  widthTin  the  centre  6 
feet,  at  the  stern  4  feet,  and  at  the  bow  3  feet.]  Each  person  was 
required  to  open  his  trunk,  which  was  inspected  by  the  Collector 
of  Customs,  and  nothing  contraband  being  found,  all  passed  off 
well,  and  we  were  soon  at  our  quarters  in  town. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  board  with  the  Judge  of  the 
Peace,  a  Mr.  Benjamin  Belisle,  a  native  of  Belize,  British  Hondu- 
ras, at  seventy-five  cents  per  day. 

The  hours  for  meals  are  different  in  this  country  from  the  States. 
The  first  meal  is  coffee,  taken  with  bread  and  butter,  or  cheese, 
usually  at  six  o'clock,  breakfast  at  from  nine  to  eleven,  and  dinner 
at  four.  The  Judge  sits  a  good  table,  consisting  of  baker's  bread, 
tortilleros,  (this  article  of  food  is  much  used  throughout  all  Hon- 
duras ;  indeed,  it  is  the  only  bread  made  of  corn,  except  in  a  few 
places  where  hand-mills  are  used)  fritters  of  flour,  yams,  sweet- 
potatoes,  imported  Irish  potatoes,  beef,  pork,  chicken,  fish,  with 
occasional  dishes  of  very  nice  pastry,  pickles,  onions,  fruit,  and 
wine.  This  may  not  all  be  set  at  the  same  me  d,  but  constitutes 
the  main  materials  out  of  which  they  were  prepared,  and,  but  for  a 
superabundance  of  garlic  on  his  meats,  were  very  well  cooked.  This 
evil  was,  however,  remedied  by  calling  the  attention  of  his  Honor 
to  the  fact  that  it  did  not  suit  our  tastes.  His  Honor  was  very 
polite  and  accommodating,  waiting  on  us  himself  at  the  table,  fre- 
quently declaring  that  it  was  no  disgrace  for  a  Judge  to  see  that 
his  guests  were  well  attended  to,  and  as  he  was  thoroughly  expe- 
rienced in  the  business  of  hotel-keeping,  he  felt  confident  that  he 
could  serve  us  better,  and  give  more  satisfaction  than  half  a  dozen 
servants  could.  This  was  the  first  judicial  officer  we  had  met. 
My  curiosity  was  somewhat  excited  as  to  his  geneology,  and  upon 
inquiry  found  that  he  claimed  to  be  an  Englishman  ;  but  a  physio- 
logist would  not  be  likely  to  class  him  Anglo-Saxon.  But  be  he 
whom  he  may,  he  is  a  stern  and  rigid  executioner  of  the  law. 

The  town  of  Omoa  is  situated  in  a  small  valley,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Omoa  mountains,  near  the  confluence  of  the  river  Omoa,  with 
the  Bay  of  Honduras.  The  population  of  this  place  is  variously 
estimated  at  from  one  to  three  thousand  souls.  I  do  not  believe  it 
exceeds  one  thousand,  if  indeed,  it  reaches  thab  point. 

This  place  is,  like  all  others  that  I  have  seen,  very  compactly 
built,  and  with  but  little  regard  to  exact  order.  You  find  here 
several  very  nice  houses,  built  of  short  boards  nailed  on  shingle 
fashion,  and  covered  with  slate,  neither  of  which  was  manufac- 
tured in  the  country.  Some  wTere  built  of  adobe  and  brick,  cov- 
ered with  tile ;  others  are  built  of  sticks  and  mud,  with  thatched 


roofs.  The  mud  houses  are  almost  exclusively  used,  except  in  the 
principal  cities.  These  houses  are  constructed  of  upright  posts, 
six  feet  apart,  upon  which  is  a  plate  to  rest  the  rafters.  The  walls 
are  made  of  lattice,  work  of  bamboo  or  cane  fastened  on  the  in  and 
out  side  to  these  upright  posts,  and  filled  with  mud,  and  smoothed 
down  so  as  to  give  it  a  solid  appearance.  They  are  covered  with 
thatch  made  of  palm,  tied  on  to  the  rafters  with  rawhide,  vine, 
&c.  The  rafters  are  secured  with  rawhide  thongs  and  vines,  &c. 
These  roofs  will  last  from  six  to  ten  years ;  the  walls  from  thirty 
to  forty  years ;  the  wood  work  as  long,  when  made  of  timber, 
not  subject  to  the  ravages  of  the  wood  louse  and  the  sawyer. 
These  destructive  insects  are  very  numerous,  and  attack  all 
kinds  of  soft  and  sap  timber,  and  in  a  few  years  eat  them  to  a 
mere  shell.  It  is  therefore  highly  important  that  timber  for  all 
purposes,  be  selected  with  care,  and  from  the  firmest  wood.  Most 
of  the  houses  in  this  place  are  floored  with  plank.  But  such  as 
are  not  able  to  have  plank,  live  upon  dirt  floors,  some  of  which  are 
cemented. 

I  saw  several  very  nice  gardens,  in  which  were  growing  cab- 
bage, tomatoes,  onions,  squash,  and  beautiful  trees  of  pomegran- 
ates. 

It  is  said  that  every  variety  of  vegetables  common  in  our  coun- 
try may  be  produced  here  with  perfect  success,  as  also,  melons  of 
all  descriptions.  I  saw  no  fine  melons  in  the  Republic :  we  ate  some 
very  sweet  water-melons,  and  were  told  that  they  grew,  when,  cul- 
tivated, to  great  size,  which  I  am  disposed  to  credit. 

The  population  is  very  much  mixed.  Indeed  I  think  the  term 
heterogeneous  may  be  appropriately  applied  to  the  inhabitants  of 
this  place,  as  respects  origin ;  but  business  and  everything  else 
is  moved  and  directed  by  the  superior  race. 

In  commercial  importance,  Omoa  is  the  second  post  in  the  Re- 
public. A  considerable  trade  is  carried  on  with  parts  of  western 
and  central  Honduras.  The  principal  articles  of  trade  are  hides, 
sarsaparilla,  India  rubber,  dye  woods,  cattle,  sugar,  coffee,  rice, 
and  fruits,  which  are  bought  by  the  merchants  at  their  own  prices, 
or  goods  given  in  exchange  for  them. 

The  export^  from  this  point  are  chiefly  confined  to  the  first  five 
named  articles.  Rouitan  is  famous  for  its  fruits,  and  a  considera- 
ble trade  done  in  that  line.  Truxillo  is  the  best,  hide  and  cattle 
market,  and  enters  considerably  into  the  fruit  trade.  Sarsaparilla, 
India  rubber,  vernilk,  and  dye  wood,  are  also  a  trade  of  this  place. 
Fixed  prices  exist  at  Omoa  upon  no  given  articles  of  commerce. 
This  place  is  difficult  of  access  from  the  interior,  shut  in  by  a 
range  of  high  mountains,  and  when  once  the  produce  of  the  inte- 
rior is  there,  the  merchant  is  not  slow  in  perceiving  his  advantage, 
and  is  ever  ready  to  avail  himself  of  it.  Upon  articles  of  prime 
necessity,  prices  are  very  well  regulated  throughout  the  entire  Re- 
public, though  they  vary  considerably  in  different  localities.  In  giv- 
ing prices  of  articles  of  export,  Ihave  to  rely  upon  data  furnished  me 


by  those  engaged  in  the  trade.  Sarsaparilla  is  gathered  in  the 
mountains,  arranged  in  bales  of  one  hundred  pounds  each,  two  of 
which  make  a  cargo  for  one  mule.  Pack  saddles  are  placed  upon 
the  mules,  and  made  perfectly  secure  by  cruppers  and  straps.  Upon 
either  side  of  the  saddle  these  packages  are  placed,  and  secured 
with  ropes  and  raw-hide  thongs.  One  muleteer  will  manage  from 
five  to  ten  mules.  As  soon  as  the  mules  are  packed,  their  halters 
are  tied  up,  and  they  seem  to  know  exactly  what  they  are  to  do. 
These  mules  will  carry  a  cargo  of  two  hundred  pounds  in  safety, 
anywhere,  and  when  once  your  freight  is  in  the  hands  of  the  car- 
rier, you  need  not  give  yourself  further  concern.  In  this  manner 
all  articles  are  transported  to  and  from  the  trading  points.  In 
this  stage  sarsaparilla  is  said  to  be  worth  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
two  cents  per  pound. 

Dry  hides,  of  most  superior  quality,  folded  in  neat  packages, 
are  worth  from  four  to  six  cents  per  pound,  biit  never  sold  by 
weight :  the  trader  examines  the  hides,  and  submits  his  offer  per 
hide.  I  noticed  some  of  these  sales,  and  reckoning  the  average 
weights,  set  down  the  above  figures  as  approximations  of  the 
prices  current  for  this  article. 

Rubber  is  taken  from  the  tree  by  cutting  through  the  bark  in 
horizontal  lines,  out  of  which  oozes  a  thick  milky  substance. — 
This  is  caught  on  the  blade  of  a  knife  or  paddle,  and  trans- 
ferred to  buckets.  One  bucket-full  is  a  day's  work  for  a  hand — 
say  three  gallons.  This  milk  is  emptied  into  a  square  box,  cover- 
ing the  box  the  thickness  desired  for  the  sheets  of  rubber.  Upon 
tiiis  is  poured  a  small  quantity  of  alum  water,  and  set  aside  for  a 
few  hours,  and  when  sufficiently  congealed,  it  is  then  removed  and 
packed,  for  transportation.  For  each  bucket-full  of  milk  the  la- 
borer receives  fifty  cents.  When  the  rubber  is  congealed  and 
packed  it  is  worth  from  twenty  to  thirty  cents  per  pound.  It  is 
said  that  three  gallons  of  the  milk  will  make  sixteen  pounds  of 
rubber,  which,  at  the  low  figures  of  20  cents  per  pound,  will  give 
to  the  manufacturer  a  net  profit  of  $2.70  to  the  hand.  I  offer 
this  statement  upon  the  authority  of  a  gentleman  who  has  had 
some  experience,  and  by  reference  to  the  American  Encyclopedia 
I  find  that  the  per  cent  is  not  too  great. 

The  beef  cattle  exported  are  driven  from  the  interior.  The 
prices  paid  depend  upon  the  localities  where  they  are  bought. 
These  prices  I  will  give  you  in  detail  as  I  pass  along  through  the 
country. 

Small  lots  of  cotton  were  exported  from  Onioa  this  year,  but  so 
inconsiderable  that  it  need  be  mentioned  only  to  show  that 
the  attention  of  tne  people  is  being  directed  to  the  production  of 
that  great  staple.  Coffee  is  also  becoming  an  article  of  export ; 
but  I  think  I  may  say  with  safety,  that  not  more  than  a  sufficiency 
is  produced  in  the  Republic  for  home  consumption,  at  this  time. 
Coffee  is  bought  at  Omoa  at  sixteen  cents,  and  sold  by  retail  at 
twenty-five  cents  per  pound. 


I  found  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  ascertain  the  aggregate  amount 
of  exports  or  imports.  So  indefinite  is  my  information  on  that 
subject,  that  I  must  content  myself  by  referring  those  interested  to 
the  consular  reports  on  that  subject.  We  find  in  this  harbor  two 
schooners,  each  of  about  eighty  tons  burthen,  which  ply  between 
this  port  and  Belize.  Also,  one  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons, 
running  regularly  to  Boston,  in  the  United  States.  This  line  has 
been  kept  up  by  one  house  over  thirty  years. 

The  harbor  of  Omoa  is  small,  but  very  beautiful,  and  safe  to  the 
extent  of  its  anchorage.  It  is  generally  said  that  Omoa  is  sickly, 
and  many  precautions  for  health  are  offered  to  all  persons  visiting 
that  place.  I  found  the  sun  very  warm  while  there,  and  did  not 
feel  safe  in  exposing  myself  to  it  at  noon.  But  I  must  say  that  I 
found  it  at  all  times  pleasant  in  the  shade.  I  saw  the  mercury  at 
this  place  as  high  as  ninety-six,  for  two  hours ;  the  lowest  points 
at  seventy  four :  this  was  said  to  be  unusual  hot  weather,  and  when 
exposed  to  the  sun,  the  heat  was  very  oppressive. 

Neither  yellow  fever  nor  cholera  has  existed  here  as  an  epidemic  ; 
and  the  occasional  cases  which  have  occurred,  are  said  to  have  been 
importations  from  the  West  Indias.  I  am  informed  that  yellow 
fever  has  prevailed  as  an  epidemic  on  the  Bay  Islands  and  at  Trux- 
illo.  The  prevailing  diseases  on  the  coast  of  the  Caribean  are 
billious  and  intermittent  fevers.  The  first  sometimes  assumes  a 
very  malignant  type  :  both  of  which,  if  taken  in  time,  and  if  pro- 
perly treated,  are  easily  controlled.  The  per  cent  of  mortality  at 
Omoa  is  not  greater  than  any  of  the  coast  towns  of  Georgia. 

Immediately  in  this  vicinity,  farming  lands  are  in  small  bodies, — 
along  the  coast  and  behind  the  first  spurs  of  the  mountains.  The 
soil  is  a  sandy  loam,  producing  in  great  abundance  the  best  quality 
of  all  the  tropical  fruits.  Coffee,  Sugar-cane,  and  rice  grow  to  per- 
fection. Corn,  Sweet  Potatoes,  Yams,  Cocoa,  yield  abundantly. 
The  experiment  of  cotton-growing  has  not  resulted  satisfactorily, 
immediately  on  the  coast.  The  reason  assigned  does  not  apply  to 
the  more  interior  valleys- 

Along  this  belt  the  seasons  are  not  so  regular  as  in  the  interior 
districts,  consequently  the  producer  of  cotton  cannot  calculate  with 
any  degree  of  certainty  for  the  time  of  gathering,  and  those  who 
have  attempted  the  experiment  have  met  with  disasters  from  heavy 
Northers,  which  are  common  on  the  whole  coast.  Cotton  goods 
command  about  the  same  price  in  Omoa  as  in  our  markets.  Silks 
and  linens  ten  per  cent  cheaper.  Shoes  and  boots  range  about  as 
they  do  in  Atlanta.  Hats  ten  per  cent  cheaper,  including  all  kinds. 
Cutlery  twenty  per  cent  higher.  Flour  imported  from  the  United 
States,  ten  to  twenty  per  cent  higher.  All  the  flour  used  on  the 
coast  and  for  fifty  miles  in  the  interior  is  imported.  Sugar  retails  at 
six  cents  per  pound,  best  quality.  No  sugar  is  manufactured  in  the 
Republic  abovethe  grade  of  ordinary  brownDulcy,  alow  grade  of  su- 
gar, made  into  balls  of  one  pound  each,  retails  at  three  and  a  half  cents 
per  pound ;    fresh  beef  at    four   cents  per  pound  ;    pork  at  five 


cents  ;  lard  at  six  cents  ;  hens  twenty  five  cents  each  ;  eggs  twelve 
and  a  half  cents  per  dozen ;  turkeys  fifty  cents ;  mileh  cows  at 
from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars ;  saddle  mules  at  from  forty  to  one 
»  hundred  dollars  ;  horses,  best,  from  forty  to  seventy-five  dollars, 
(none  fine)  ;  pack  mules  from  twenty  to  thirty  dollars  ;  board, 
transient,  seventy  five  cents  per  day ;  cigars  from  two  fifty  to  four 
dollars  per  thousand.     Fruits — prices  nominal. 

This  is  the  prices  current  of  the  above  named  articles  at  Omoa. 
_  I  will  not  leave  Omoa  without  saying  that  her  people  are  en- 
titled to  praise  for  their  quiet  and  orderly  deportment.  Here  you 
find  a  number  of  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  fine  intelligence  and 
highly  educated.  I  was  invited  by  the  judge  to  witness  the  trial 
of  a  forger  on  a  small  scale.  The  witnesses  were  all  brought  into 
court,  sworn  and  examined,  and  the  testimony  taken  down  by  the 
clerk.  Questions  were  asked  the  witnesses  by  the  court  and  by 
any  judicial  officer  present  who  wished  to  interrogate.  When  the 
case  was  made  out,  the  court  then  turned  over  a  list  of  the  witness- 
es who  testified,  and  asked  the  prisoner  if  he  had  any  defense  :  in 
this  case  he  had  none,  and  not  appealing  to  the  next  higher  court, 
he  was  immediately  placed  across  a  barrel,  and  forty  stripes  were 
well  laid  on.  The  next  case  was  the  trial  of  a  young  moke  for  in- 
sult offered  to  a  lady  :  this  trial  consumed  2*  day,  and  the  court 
found  him  guilty  of  disorderly  conduct,  and  at  once  administered 
to  him  in  broken  doses  one  hundred  stripes. 

I  found  in  operation  here  one  school,  in  which  was  taught  the 
Spanish  and  English  language,  Mathematics,  &c.  Omoa  has  but 
one  house  of  worship,  which  has  evidently  .been  very  much  neglect- 
ed. Yet  her  people  are  strict  in  the  observance  of  their  fiestas, 
rights  and  ceremonies.  While  here  I  witnessed  a  funeral  and  the 
observance  of  their  customs  on  such  occasions.  Burials  usually 
take  place  at  night ;  the  corpse  is  neatly  wrapped  in  white  sheets 
over  which  is  folded  a  mantling ;  the  body  is  then  placed  on  a  litter 
and  followed  by  friends  and  people  with  hghted  candles  and  torches 
to  the  grave,  where  the  body  is  deposited  with  many  signs  and 
marked  demonstrations  of  sorrow.  The  graves  are  dug  without 
regard  to  order,  as  respects  the  compass,  and  the  body  laid  as  it 
may  happen  to  arrive.  After  the  ceremonies  were  all  over  at  the 
grave,  they  returned  to  the  house  of  the  bereaved  to  drown  their 
sorrow  in  a  bottle  of  rum. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  April,  in  company  with  a  mule- 
teer I  started  for  San  Pedro,  said  to  be  eighteen  leagues  'from 
Omoa  by  the  traveled  route. 

Mounted  on  a  white  pony  just  forty  inches  high,  with  speed  fully 
equal  to  an  American  goat,  I  confess  I  did  not  feel  very  strongly 
impressed  with  my  appearance  as  a  cavillier  ;  but  from  the  expe- 
rience of  my  pony  in  climbing  mountains,  I  felt  safe.  The  path  led 
down  the  coast  four  miles  to  a  point  where  the  mountains  shoot 
into  the  sea.  This  range  of  mountains  is  said  to  be  ten  leagues 
across,  which  I  think  an  over  estimate.    The  general  phase  of 


these  mountains  were  so  very  different  from  any  I  had  ever  seen, 
that  I  traveled  for  miles  almost  unconscious  of  the  rugged  way 
over  which  I  was  passing. 

Along  this  road  you  are  climhing  and  descending  steep  moun- 
tains, passing  narrow  defiles,  just  wide  enough  for  one  mule,  and 
now  and  then  on  the  verge  of  an  almost  perpendicular  precipice, 
where  the  roots  of  trees  upon  your  path  reach  out  their  tendrils 
to  clasp  the  very  topmost  boughs  of  those  that  lift  their  tops  from 
the  deep  ravines. 

These  mountains,  from  summit  to  base,  are  covered  with  timber, 
shrubs,  and  vines  of  most  luxurient  growth,  and  although  you 
stand  upon  the  precipices  and  look  down  on  the  very  tops  of  the 
trees,  you  have  no  feelings  of  awe ;  for  instead  of  jagged  cliffs  and 
bai'ren  wastes,  you  look  upon  the  luxurient  foliage  of  the  tropics, 
which  hang  in  rich  profusion  on  their  sides,  and  peer  up  from  the 
very  centre  of  the  chasm.  While  it  is  true  that  this  robs  these 
mountains  of  all  frightful  mien,  and  that  sublimity  upon  which  ro- 
mance delights  to  linger,  nevertheless  they  are  beautiful ;  and, 
when  once  you  ascend  to  the  top  and  look  out  upon  the  broad 
savannas  of  the  great  Sula  Valley,  your  heart,  despite  weariness, 
swells  with  emotions  of  delight.  Very  often  you  pass  through 
tall  and  beautiful  groves  of  palmetto,  which,  like  Samaritans,  stand 
on  either  side,  reaching  forth  their  long  and  graceful  limbs  in  per- 
fect arch,  to  give  you  shade  even  at  mid-day.  I  experienced  no 
inconvenience  from  heat  in  traveling  through  these  mountains,  al- 
thoiigh  occasionally  exposed  to  the  sun  in  passing  the  openings 
made  by  the  settlers.  The  roads  are  paved  in  places  with  stone. 
I  remember  one  place  where  the  stone  was  so  polished  by  the 
hoofs  of  animals  that  it  seemed  quite  difficult  for  them  to  ascend, 
and  upon  examination  found  it  to  be  coarse  marble.  jSTc  t  far  dis- 
tant I  saw  blocks  of  marble  in  a  most  beautiful  stream,  which,  at 
a  short  distance,  impressed  me  with  the  idea  of  the  chisel.  This 
I' examined  as  critically  as  I  could,  and  believe  it  susceptible  of 
the  highest  polish.  Indeed,  I  feel  authorized  in  saying  that  marble 
and  lime  are  abundant  in  these  mountains.  These  mountain  lands 
are  generally  rich — more  or  less  rocky. 

I  saw  nothing  growing  on  this  rout  except  corn,  coffee,  cocoa, 
rice,  sugar  cane,  plaintain,  bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  and 
melons,  all  of  which  seemed  to  flourish,  and  promised  abundant 
yields.  As  I  passed  into  the  interior,  on  the  16th  of  April,  the 
farmers  were  planting  corn,  and  some  of  it  was  ten  inches  high  ; 
on  our  return  we  found  it  hard,  in  full  roasting-ear,  and  in  the 
silk.  It  was  planted  in  the  style  common  in  this  country,  and 
without  work,  (except  to  cut  down  the  weeds  with  the  machet,  or 
long  knife)  will  yield  thirty  bushels  per  acre.  Others  who,  proba- 
bly, are  better  judges  than  myself,  set  down  the  yield  at  much 
larger  figures  ;  but  Mr.  Goldsmith  and  myself  concluded  to  put  it 
at  the  figures  named.     On  the  evening  of  the  first  day's  travel,  I 


reached  Rancho  Grande,  the  stopping  place  for  travelers  and  mule- 
teers. This  place  belongs  to  Joseph  Renaud,  a  native,  of  German 
descent^  educated  in  the  United  States  and  France,  now  a  resident 
of  San  Pedro,  and  of  whom  I  shall  hereafter  speak.  Here,  in  this 
small  valley,  I  found  a  beautiful  little  coffee  and  cocoa  estate,  of 
about  four  thousand  trees  each :  the  cocoa  not  yet  bearing  ;  the 
coffee  trees,  except  a  few,  are  six  years  old,  and  give  from  four  to 
six  pounds  of  good  coffee.  On  this  farm  is  a  small  cluster  of  cof- 
fee trees- over  forty  years  old,  yielding  from  six  to  eight  pounds  of 
excellent  coffee,  and  seem  to  be  as  luxurient  and  fresh  as  the  trees 
of  six  years'  growth.  At  this  place  fine  melons  of  every  descrip- 
tion, and  white  head  cabbage  weighing  ten  pounds,  have  been 
raised. 

Here,  going  and  returning,  we  suffered  much  from  musquitoes 
and  gnats.  Going  up,  I  met  at  this  place  about  twenty  muleteers, 
all  natives,  and  not  one  able  to  speak  a  word  of  English.  They 
seemed  to  understand  my  feelings,  and  showed  by  every  sign  that 
they  were  disposed  to  render  me  easy  and  comfortable.  After  the 
rauies  were  unpacked,  and  their  backs  examined,  and  doctored,  if 
necessary,  they  were  hobbled,  or  tied  together,  and  turned  on  the 
pasture  to  feed  for  the  night.  The  cargoes  were  all  carefully  piled 
under  the  public  shed,  which  has  been  provided  by  the  govern- 
ment on  all  public  highways,  at  intervals  of  a  day's  travel,  for  car- 
riers. Everything  arranged,  all  gathered  around  their  fires  to  pre- 
pare their  meals — Americana  among  the  rest,  made  himself  as 
easy  as  possible,  and  conformed,  with  as  much  grace  as  one  could 
expect,  to  the  new  order  of  things.  About  eight  o'clock  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  hacienda  invited  me  to  a  room  in  the  house, 
whereT  found  a  nice  bed  well  provided  with  musquito  bars,  and 
left  my  new  companions  to  hang  in  their  hammocks,  or  loll  upon 
their  cow-skins,  and  fight  musquitoes  the  balance  of  the  night. 
Next  morning  I  called  for  my  bill,  which  was  one  madio,  or  six 
and  one-fourth  cents,  which  I  paid.  Upon  enquiring,  I  learned 
that  I  had  yet  one  league  to  go,  before  I  reached  the  savannas. 
After  a  few  hours  travel  I  was  over  the  mountains,  and  winding 
my  way  along  the  valleys.  Some  of  these  savannas  are  rich  and 
well  watered ;  others  are  comparatively  poor,  and  water  scarce : 
but  these  plains  become  more  fertile  and  water  more  abundant  as 
you  proceed  east  or  south.  It  may  be  proper  here  to  remark,  that 
these  savannas  are  small,  and  constitute  a  mere  speck  on  the 
great  plains.  I  passed  over  these  plains  without  an  umbrella 
from  ten  to  two  o'clock.  They  said  the  days  were  very  hot  for  the 
season,  which  was  mid-summer.  It  was  to  me  very  warm,  but  I 
did  not  suffer  more  heat  than  I  have  in  the  States  from  the 
same  exposure.  The  advantages  in  favor  of  this  country  arise  from 
the  constant  and  refreshing  breezes  that  sweep  from  sea  to  sea. 
When  in  about  six  leagues  of  San  Pedro,  I  hailed,  with  pleasure, 
the  re-appearance  of  the  palmetto,  and  its  pleasant  shades.  Be- 
tween this  and  San  Pedro  some  very  nice  streams  and  rich  lands 


are  passed,  some  of  which,  I  think,  rather  low,  and  liable  to  inun- 
dations during  the  rainy  season,  but  gradually  rising  for  several 
miles  before  reaching  that  place.  This  little  town  is  situated  in 
the  Sula  Valley,  about  thirty  miles  on  a  direct  line  from  Porta 
Cabalos,  on  the  Caribian  coast,  two  miles  from  the  foot  of  the 
Cordillera  mountains,  six  miles  from  the  Rio  Chamilicon,  and  three 
miles  from  the  head  of  navigation,  on  the  Tacomicho,  which  is  a 
narrow  and  deep  stream,  said  to  be  navigable  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year  for  small  steamers.  The  lands  in  this  vicinity  are  watered  by 
a  number  of  very  beautiful  little  streams,  which  flow  out  from 
the  mountains,  some  of  which  disappear  soon  after  entering  the 
valley :  but  water,  by  means  of  small  aqueducts,  may  be  carried  to 
any  given  point  of  the  valley  near  this  place. 

This  town  is  supplied  with  water  by  a  small  dyke,  cut  from  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  into  which  a  sufficiency  of  water  from  one 
of  those  little  mountain  streams  is  turned.  Before  reaching  the 
town  it  is  turned  into  four  channels,  which  pass  in  parallel  lines 
through  it.  Early  in  the  morning,  or  late  in  the  evening,  the  in- 
habitants fill  their  vessels  (which  are  made  of  clay,  not  glazed  and 
neatly  wrought)  with  water  sufficient  for  drinking  purposes  during 
the  day.  This  water  is  pure,  clear  as  crystal,  and  as  pleasant  as 
water  of  the  same  temperature  can  be,  but  by  no  means  as  cold 
as  the  well  or  spring  water  of  Middle  or  Upper  Georgia :  per- 
sons unaccustomed  to  it,  invariably,  when  they  drink  it,  wish  it 
cooler.  The  inhabitants  are  mostly  mixed  blood  of  Spanish 
and  Indian,  Spanish  and  negro,  one  American  family,  two  or  three 
French  families,  and  one  or  two  full  Jamaica  negroes.  We  were 
received  by  the  people  with  many  demonstrations  of  kindness,  and 
in  some  instances,  manifested  a  willingness  to  sacrifice  their  comfort 
for  ours.  In  this  connection,  I  feel  it  due  to  express  many  thanks 
to  Messrs.  Renaud,  De  Bellou,  Don  Parblo  and  many  others  whom 
I  could  mention,  if  there  names  were  remembered.  To  Mr.  Buck- 
ma  I  will  not  omit  to  mention  my  thanks  for  the  many  species^  of 
timber  he  furnished  me.  Messrs.  Renaud  and  De  Bellou  threw 
open  their  doors,  and  said,  "  come,  you  are  welcome."  The  peo- 
ple are  generally  accommodating,  polite,  docile,  and  unobtrusive. 
The  laboring  class,  or  as  they  are  called,  moses,  understand  their 
sphere,  and  move  strictly  in  it :  they  are  ready,  at  all  times,  to  serve 
you  at  thirty  seven  and  a  half  cents  per  day,  and  feed  themselves. 
The  masses  are  an  ignorant,  unlettered  people,  with  rude  customs 
and  habits,  many  times  bordering  on  indecency.  The  dress  of  the 
females,  of  the  lower  class,  does  not  fully  meet  the  idea  of  Ameri- 
can modesty  :  it  consists  chiefly  of  a  thin  skirt,  fastened  around 
the  waist,  and  a  low-necked  chemise.  The  better  class  have 
adopted  English  fashions,  and  are  neat  and  tasty  in  their  dress  : 
they  are,  as  a  general  thing,  indolent  and  uninventive ;  and  the 
lower  class  had  much  rather  work  for  their  patrons  than  to  culti- 
vate on  their  own  account. 

This  little  town  stands  near  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city  of  the 


10 

same  name,  which  was  destroyed  by  Commodore  Blake,  acting 
under  the  auspices  of  the  English  Government.  At  the  time  of 
its  destruction,  it  was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  flourishing  towns 
in  Central  America.  Traces  may  yet  be  seen,  such  as  stone  walls 
and  pieces  of  brick  ;  but  the  laspe  of  one  hundred  and  forty  years 
has  leveled  everything  to  the  earth,  and  so  wrapped  it  in  jun- 
g  e,  that  the  stranger  would  pass  on  without  noticing  it.  The 
foundation  of  the  present  town  dates  back  one  hundred  years,  and 
yet  stands  a  few  houses  of  stick  and  mud,  with  thatched  roofs  and 
dirt  floors,  with  a  population  of  not  exceeding  five  hundered. 

This  is  said  to  be  a  very  healthy  place,  and  is  considerably  re- 
sorted to  for  health.  The  natives  inform  me  that  they  have  an  oc- 
casional case  of  fever,  billious  or  intermittent. 

Among  them  I  saw  a  few  cases  of  goiter,  which  prevails  here  to 
about  the  same  extent  that  it  does  in  some  places  in  Virginia  and 
Tennessee.  Up  to  the  25th  of  May,  the  day  of  our  departure 
from  San  Pedro,  several  cases  of  billious  and  intermittent  fever 
had  occurred  among  the  colonist,  and  one,  a  Dr.  Hurt,  from  Vir- 
ginia, had  died.  That  everything  may  be  attributed  to  the  proper 
causes,  it  is  well  that  facts  should  be  submitted.  When  we  left 
Atlanta,  shawls  and  overcoats  were  necessary  for  our  comfort :  in 
ten  days  we  were  in  the  tropics,  in  mid-summer.  Our  young  men 
were  indifferent  to  the  sun — even  at  home,  not  being  accustomed 
to  it — and  very  imprudent  in  the  use  of  fruit.  Being  impatient  to 
penetrate  the  country,  several  walked  frojm  Omoa  to  San  Pedro,  and 
soon  after  arriving  at  the  latter  place,  with  resolutions  undaunted, 
and  entirely  unaccustomed  to  the  field,  they  laid  off  their  coats  and 
pitched  into  the  forest,  clearing  their  land  :  the  result  was  as  before 
stated.  But  upon  leaving  San  Pedro  for  the  States,  all  were  well 
but  one,  who  was  still  complaining.  But  the  question  may  be 
asked :  Do  you  believe  this  to  be  a  healthy  locality  ?  My  an- 
swer is  positively  affirmative.  The  lands  are  rich,  of  a  dark-stall 
color,  and  look  to  be  inexhaustible ;  the  soil  is  in  many  places  six 
feet  deep,  and  rarely  under  two.  The  lands  are  covered  with 
many  timbers,  valuable  tor  building  and  manufacturing  purposes. 
Where  the  land  is  not  heavily  timbered,  it  is  an  impenetrable  jun- 
gle of  bush,  vine,  and  thorn ;  indeed,  I  may  say  that  the  whole 
country,  between  the  mountains  and  the  Chamilicon,  a  few  sa- 
vannas excepted,  is  covered  with  a  thick  undergrowth.  Small 
pineries  are  seen  in  the  mountains,  from  San  Pedro  ;  and  both  on 
the  mountains  and  in  the  valley,  promiscuously  scattered,  are  nia- 
hogony  and  rubber  trees,  and  a  tree  which  gives  an  abundance  of 
tan  bark,  of  the  best  quality ;  besides  many  others  valuable  for 
dyes  and  medicines. 

Besides  the  timbers  already  named,  we  find  in  this  valley  the  fre- 
cola,  mother  of  cocoa,  cedar,  fustic,  royal  palm,jaqua,  macualise, 
black  laurel,  jalan,  canano,  nespero,  guayvea,  muntico,  and  several 
other  species,  valuable  for  furniture  and  building  purposes,  if  the 
saw  could  only  be  applied  to  them.    Corn,  coffee,  cocoa,  sugar  cane, 


11 

rice,  tobacco,  indigo,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  eucre,  musk  and  water 
melons,  and  pumpkins,  grow  well  in  this  valley.  All  kinds  of 
tropical  Iruits  flourish,  when  planted  and  cared  for ;  but  very  few 
of  any  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Pedro — the  inhabitants 
contenting  themselves  with  the  fruits  of  the  forest.  Vegetables, 
common  to  Gorgia,  are  said  to  flourish  anywhere  in  Hondu- 
ras, and  may  be  taken  fresh  with  proper  care  and  culture  every 
month  in  the  year.  Wild  grapes,  resembling  our  winter  and  sum- 
mer species,  and  the  grape  known  with  us  as  the  fox,  are  abun- 
dant everywhere.  The  experiment  of  cotton  planting  (and  truly 
it  is  but  an  experiment,  and  in  that  light  I  desire  my  friends  to 
view  it)  has,  at  San  Pedro  and  further  South,  as  far  as  tried,  proved 
a  success.  Near  Yojoa  the  short  staple  has  been  tried  several 
years,  giving  about  two  bales,  of  five  hundred  pounds  each,  to  the 
acre.  The  bolls  of  this  cotton  are  small,  staple  short,  fibre  equal 
to  Georgia  productions.  At  San  Pedro  I  saw  a  cotton  tree  eight 
years  old,  resembling  in  size  a  plum  tree  of  equal  age.  This  tree 
had  not  been  cultivated,  or  any  care  taken  of  it.  I  found  several 
bolls  open ;  the  cotton  was  very  coarse  and  harsh,  the  seed  as 
large  as  that  of  the  mogul  plum,  and  quite  as  hard,  and  only  three 
to  the  boll.  It  is  evident,  to  my  mind,  that  this  is  a  different  spe- 
cies of  cotton  to  that  now  grown  there.  Near  this,  is  a  small  field 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  yards  square,  on  the  outside  of  the 
fence,  which  was  cut  down  and  planted  in  cotton  last  September, 
and  cultivated  with  a  hoe,  from  which  Mr.  De  Balon,  a  gentleman 
from  New  Orleans,  claims  to  have  taken  fifteen  thousand  pounds 
of  seed  cotton,  '.which  has  yielded  33|-  per  cent  of  lint.  This  is 
sea  island  cotton ;  the  staple  and.  fibre  of  which  is  superior  to  the 
short  staple  of  Georgia,  but  probably  not  equal  to  that  of  Florida. 
This  is  the  largest  weed,  for  a  year's  growth,  I  ever  saw,  and  well 
filled  with  bolls.  The  fruit  is  not  as  large  as  that  of  the  short  sta- 
ple of  Georgia.  It  is  planted  in  hills,  six  feet  distance,  with  three 
seed  in  a  hill,  and  average  seven  feet  high,  well  limbed ;  and  so  in- 
terlocked are  the  branches,  that  it  is  difficult  to  pass  through  it. 
It  is  said,  by  those  who  have  experimented,  that  one  planting  will 
last  six  years  or  more  without  decrease  in  yield  or  quality  by  cutting- 
down  the  stock  or  pruning  it  every  year  at  the  usual  time  of  plan- 
ting, in  such  away  as  to  force  out  new  branches  for  the  crop.  The 
best  time  for  planting  is  from  the  first  of  August  to  the  tenth  of 
September.  One  crop  of  cotton  annually  i»all  that  need  be  ex- 
pected. When  you  plant  in  August  or  September,  you  have  the 
rainy  season  for  growth ;  at  the  close  of  which  the  fruit  is  ready 
for  maturity,  and  you  have  fair  weather  for  gathering,  commen- 
cing about  the  first  of  January,  at  the  beginning  of  the  dry  season. 
I  have  been  frequently  asked  if  the  result  of  those  experiments  is  not 
a  mere  chance,  happening  from  a  combination  of  propitious  circum- 
stances, which  sometimes  occur  in  Georgia.  I  can  only  answer 
that  question  by  giving  the  data  furnished  me  on  that  point  by 
Mr.  Jack,  an  American,  who  kept  a  table  of  seasons  tor  eight 


12 

• 

years.  This  table  shows  a  very  great  uniformity  of  seasons  ;  and 
he  assures  me  that  these  years  of  experiment  were  not  more  fa- 
vored than  usualv  Cotton,  in  Honduras,  is  said  to  be  entirely  free 
from  insects,  except  a  large  species  of  ant,  which  sometimes  as- 
sail it.  These  ants  are  very  numerous  :  they  build  their  houses  in 
the  ground,  frequently  ten  feet  in  diameter.  You  see  many  paths, 
several  inches  wide,  made  by  them,  as  they  pass  from  point  to 
point,  in  quest  of  food.  I  was  reminded  by  them  of  an  army 
moving  by  the  flank :  each  ant  carries  in  his  mouth  a  piece  of  green 
leaf,  taken  from  some  plant,  or  tree,  which  they  have  chosen  for 
food.     They  are  not  at  all  dreaded  in  any  way  whatever. 

Showers  usually  commence  about  the  15th  of  May,  and  continue 
until  the  middle  of  September,  when  the  rainy  season  properly 
sets  in,  and  usually  lasts  until  the  middle  of  December,  and  some- 
times longer.  It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  rainy  season  is 
one  continuous  fall  of  rain,  or  general  deluge,  for,  it  I  am  not  mis- 
informed, it  frequently  happens  that  scarcely  a  day  passes  that  the 
sun  does  not  shine  ;  and  the  laborer  pursues  his  avocation,  in  the 
field,  part  of  the  day  for  the  whole  season.  That  there  are  excep- 
tions to  the  uniformity  of  these  seasons,  I  have  not  a  doubt,  and 
shall  look  for  many  dark,  stormy  days,  repeated  torrents  of  rain, 
and  frightful  peals  of  thunder.  The  valley  of  Sula  does  not  rank 
as  a  first  class  stock  raising  country ;  yet  there  are  many  cattle, 
horses,  mules,  goats,  and  sheep,  throughout  the  plains ;  the  for- 
mer of  which  keep  fat  and  sleek  the  entire  jear.  Fine  hogs  are 
raised,  which  are  generally  kept  about  the  house,  and  fed  on  corn. 
For  poultry,  of  every  kind,  it  is  not  to  be  surpassed.  Horses  are 
small  and  ordinary  ;  mules  small,  but  fleet  and  well  formed ;  goats, 
in  size  and  appearance,  are  very  much  like  the  breeds  common  in 
the  States  ;  sheep  are  not  fine — wool  generally  coarse  ;  no  atten- 
tion has  been  given  to  the  improvement  of  breeds.  Game  plenty  ; 
fish  in  abundance,  in  the  larger  streams,  of  superior  quality.  On 
the  sides  of  the  mountains,  near  water,  are  to  be  found  the  danta, 
or  taper,  known  among  the  natives  as  the  mountain  cow,  or  Ameri- 
can elephant.  The  puna  and  tiger  are  found  in  the  moun- 
tains. The  peccary  and  wild  cat  are  not  confined  to  any  lo- 
cality. Monkeys  and  babboons  colonize  the  fig  trees ;  and  the 
rabbit,  guinapig,  armadillo,  prairie  wolf,  opossum,  racoon,  and 
squirrel,  are  common. 

Deer  and  antelope  Jre  found  both  on  the  mountains  and  in  the 
plains.  Three  species  of  turkey — one  resembling  the  wild  breeds 
of  the  States — are  numerous  in  some  places.  The  crown  turkey  is 
a  most  beautiful  foul,  wearing  upon  the  head .  a  frill  of  gorgeous 
down.  Ducks  and  geese  are  seen  in  all  the  rivers.  A  species  of 
pheasant,  larks,  partridges,  doves,  and  pigeons,  are  in  abundance 
in  some  places.  I  found  birds  of  almost  every  kind,  from  the 
humming  bird  to  the  eagle,  the  hawk,  owl,  crow,  buzzard,  jay, 
whippoorwill,  rain-crow,  blue-bird,  jack-daw,  cat-bird,  and  many 
others  common  in  Georgia,  mingling  with  the  songsters  of  the  tropics. 


13 

The  most  prominent  of  the  tropical  birds  seen  were  the  blue  and 
red  macaw,  parrots,  paroquetes,  oropendula,  toucon,  bell-bird, 
coclico,  chulpilco,  and  the  who-you.  Macaws  go  in  pairs ;  parrots 
in  droves ;  oropendulas  swing  their  long  nests  by  hundreds  in  the 
same  tree  ;  the  bell-bird  takes  his  name  from  his  bell-like  note. 

The  mercury,  at  noon,  one  day,  at  San  Pedro,  during  the  hottest 
season,  reached  92  degrees.  In  the  morning  of  that  day  it  stood  at 
li  :  at  siin-set  18  degrees,  Fahrenheit.  At  this  point,  the  mercury, 
during  the  summer  months,  rarely  ever  goes  below  66  degrees. 
The  sun  is  very  warm  lor  about  three  hours  in  the  day,  but  plea- 
sant at  all  times  in  the  shade.  Mornings  and  evenings  delightful : 
nights  so  cool  as  generally  to  require  a  blanket  before  day.  I  do 
not  remember  a  night,  while  at  San  Pedro,  that  I  did  not  find  it 
comfortable  to  use  a  blanket  before  day  ;  and  several  of  the  colo- 
nists told  me  that  they  invariably  found  the  use  of  one  necessary 
to  comfort  during  the  night.  To  me,  the  climate  was  not  in  the 
least  enervating.  However  fatigued  during  the  day,  I  was  always 
refreshed  at  night,  and  rose  vigorous  in  the  morning.  Yet  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say  that  laziness  is  not  an  epidemic  in  the  country, 
and,  probably,  to  some  extent,  superinduced  from  the  climate.  But 
it  is  not  at  all  strange  that  people  should  become  lazy  in  a  country 
where  nature  holds  the  bosom  of  exuberance  to  their  very  lips. 
This  great  valley,  Sula,  extends  from  the  coast  inland  seventy 
miles,  and  extending  east  and  south  quite  as  far.  It  is  a  magnifi- 
cent plain,  capable  of  accommodating  many  thousands,  watered 
by  the  great  river  Ulua,  the  Chamilicon,  and  many  others  of  less 
importance.  Besides  this  great  plain,  are  the  valleys  of  Olaucheto, 
Camayagua,  Wattopecca,  the  table  lands,  and  the  high  lands  of 
Humua,  that  offer  hundreds  of  thousands  of  choicest  lands  along 
the  line  of  the  railroad  survey,  (except  the  Olancheto,  which  lies 
in  the  department  of  Yoro.)  The  Rio  Ulua  is  famous  for  its  ma- 
hogany and  lignunivitoe.  The  principal  cuttings  are  on  this  river. 
One  of  the  sources  of  revenue  to  the  government  arises  from  the 
cuttings  on  the  public  domain.  A  fee  of  five  dollars  is  charged 
by  the  government  for  every  sound  tree.  Cutters  are  shrewd,  and 
manage  to  find  many  rotten  trees,  and  loop-holes  to  avoid  the 
duty.  Mahogany  cutting  is  a  hard  and  difficult  work,  requiring 
large  capital  to  conduct  the  business.  The  gathering  of  rubber, 
vanilla,  and  sarsaparilla,  requires  but  little  capital,  and  those  expe- 
rienced in  the  business  make  it  pay.  But  the  business  upon  which 
our  people  must  rely  is  the  culture"  of  the  ground,  stock  raising, 
etc.,  until  other  interests  can  be  developed  by  capital.  Many  fields 
for  employment  are  open  to  capitalists,  and  I  have  no  doubt  might 
be  made  to  pay  fine  interest  on  investments.  The  opening  of  sil- 
ver, copper,  and  gold  mines,  and  mines  of  precious  stones ;  the 
gathering  of  dyewoods  ;  the  manufacture  of  balsams  and  oils  ;  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  ;  the  establishment  of  saw  and  grist  mills  ; 
shingle  cutters,  tin  factories,  and  machinery  of  all  kinds,  and  the 
navigation  of  rivers,  are  all  open  to  our  people.    But  as  it  requires 


14 

time  and  money  to  develop  these  interests,  and  open  the  channels 
of  trade,  it  follows  as  a  necessary  consequence,  that  planting,  stock 
raising,  etc.,  must  he  the  chief  reliance  of  settlers  for  awhile.  If 
cotton  growing  is  a  success — and  I  verily  believe  it  is — with  the 
abundance  of  labor  that  can  be  obtained  in  the  country,  it  can  cer- 
tainly be  made  profitable  ;  and,  in  addition  to  that  product,  there 
are  others  which  could  be  made  profitable,  of  which  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  and  which  are  staple  products  of  the  country.  Coffee, 
sugar-cane,  cocoa,  rice,  tobacco,  and  should  communication  be 
opened  between  this  and  other  countries,  fruits  of  many  varieties 
may  be  added.  The  great  variety  of  products,  and  the  abundant 
yields,  make  this  an  easy  country  to  live  in.  Were  the  people  of 
Georgia  not  to  labor  more  than  the  people  of  Honduras  do,  starva- 
tion would  be  the  inevitable  consequence. 

But  I^nust  stop  here  to  answer  the  questions  so  frequently  asked  : 
What  are  the  evils  ?  Have  you  any  annoyauces  ?  What  are  the 
conveniences  ?  In  answer  to  the  first  inquiry,  I  say,  that  to  my 
mind,  many  evils  exist  here  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  what  I  might 
consider  an  evil  another  might  think  a  good.  Church  and  state 
ought  to  be  separate  and  distinct.  In  Honduras,  religion  is  estab- 
lished by  law.  I  regard  that  an  evil.  The  great  power  which  the 
priests  have  over  the  common  people,  I  regard  as  an  evil ;  as,  also, 
the  superstition  and  ignorance  that  exists,  to  a  very  great  extent, 
among  the  lower  classes.  The  non-observance  of  the  Sabbath  day 
is  an  evil.  The  silent  sanction  of  adultery,  by  tolerating  persons 
living  together  as  man  and  wife  unmarried,  I  regard  an  evil. 
Others  of  less  import  might  be  named.  Annoyances  are  many. 
On  the  timbered  mountains  and  valleys  musquitoes  and  black  gnats 
are  troublesome.  On  open  lands  you  see  but  few  musquitoes, 
though  I  am  told  they  annoy,  even  at  the  houses,  for  a  short  time 
during  August.  «Gnats  may  be  expected  wherever  cattle  are  al- 
lowed to  congregate.  Fleas,  in  some  places, — I  saw  none  at  San 
Pedro, — but  ,was  informed  that  they  were  never  troublesome. 
The  gigger,  a  pernicious  little  insect,  resembling  a  small  flea,  some- 
times burrows  under  the  skin :  it  is,  however,  scarce,  and  not 
dreaded  among  the  natives.  Ticks  are  in  abundance.  To  this 
list  of  annoyances,  I  will  add  the  centepede,  a  large  stinging  worm, 
resembling  the  thousand  legs  ;  the  tarentula,  an  overgrown  spider  ; 
stinging  scorpion,  such  as  is  common  in  Georgia ;  and  the  vam- 
pire bat,  none  of  which  are  at  all  dreaded.  I  saw  no  house  flies : 
was  told  that  they  never  troubled  ;  no  red-bugs,  or  chiggers,  and 
fewer  poisonous  snakes  than  I  ever  saw  anywhere  in  the  States,  in 
the  same  travel.  The  absence  of  these  I  think  a  fair  off-set  to  the 
others,  and  other  things. 

I  saw  many  insects  besides  those  named,  none  of  which  are  par- 
ticularly annoying,  except  the  ant  and  wevil,  both  of  which  are 
troublesome.  I  frequently  examined  the  corn,  but  did  not  see 
greater  signs  upon  it  than  I  do  in  this  country.  I  found  there  the 
fire-fly,  resembling  the  beetle  or  jack-snapper  of  the  States:  three 


15 

4 

of  these  bugs  will  give  light  sufficient  to  read  by  in  a  dark  room, 
if  held  close  to  the  object.  As  to  conveniences,  the  country  has 
none, — not  a  railroad,  a  wagon-road,  or  even  a  wagon,  buggy  or 
carriage  in  the  Republic;  not  a  telegraph  wire;  no  mills  or  ma- 
chinery of  any  kind,  except  4two  flour  mills, — one  at  Camayagua, 
the  other  at  Tegucigalpa;  no  way  of  traveling  but  on  horseback ; 
no  transportation  but  by  the  pack-mule ;  and  without  anything 
like  regular  postal  arrangements.  Public  highways  for  wagon- 
travel  could  not  be  constructed  over  the  mountains  on  the  lines 
now  traveled  without  immense  cost;  but  by  disregarding  dis- 
tance, I  do  not  consider  it  impossible  to  build  roads  generally  over 
the  country.  Society  among  the  natives  you  need  not  expect,  and 
must  be  carried,  unless  you  settle  in  the  large  cities. 

This  country  is  more  than  a  century  behind  the  age  in  all  that 
constitutes  greatness.  Every  obstacle  has  been  thrown  in  the  way 
of  progress:  her  destiny,  so  far,  has  been  written  in  blood,  devas- 
tation, and  ruin.  While  under  the  dominion  of  Spain,  foreigners 
were  excluded  from  the  country,  and  the  inhabitants  burthened  by 
taxation,  and  in  every  other  conceivable  way.  The  silver  mines 
were  worked  under  such  exactions  as  to  enrich  the  mother  country 
upon  the  labor  of  her  subjects.  Even  under  these  burdens,  Hondu- 
ras bade  fair  to  become  the  rival  of  Spain  in  the  growth  of  grape. 
Spain  became  jealous  of  her  as  a  rival  in  that  interest,  and,  by 
military  force,  destroyed  every  vineyard  in  the  country.  In  fact, 
every  obstacle  possible  was  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  prosperity 
of  Central  America.  Oppression  became  intolerable.  War  en- 
sued, and  Central  America  won  her  independence.  Each  province 
then  formed  its  own  government.  Since  that  time  internal  feuds 
and  civil  wars  have  kept  every  interest  prostrated;  and  not  until 
recently  have  the  people  been  allowed  to  enjoy  peace.  But  all 
classes  now  express  the  hope  that  a  better  day  has  dawned,  and 
they  contemplate,  with  extreme  delight,  the  pleasures  of  peace. 
Thus  you  find  the  country  almost  as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  the 
Creator,  with  its  tall  mountains,  broad  and  fertile  valleys  untouch- 
ed by  the  hand  of  industry.  The  timbered  lands  of  these  valleys 
are  hard  to  clear.  The  trees  ai'e  sometimes  very  large,  but  do  not 
stand  thick.  Savannas  only  require  a  fence  in  many  places.  The 
lands  of  the  timbered  valleys  I  consider  best.  The  cost  of  putting 
timbered  land  in  cultivation  is  about  $6  per  acre.  Although  tim- 
ber is  in  abundance,  but  little  can  be  found  that  can  be  split  into 
rails,  consequently  fencing  for  immediate  use  must  be  made  in 
some  other  way.  All  that  is  necessary  is,  for  a  fence  to  last  two 
years.  Nature  has  provided  a  species  of  cactus  called  matartu, 
which,  when  attended  to,  gives  a  fence  in  two  years  that  is  per" 
fectly  impregnable.  It  grows  in  bunches — one  root  shooting  up 
half  dozen  thorny  spires  six  or  eight  feet  high.  One  of  these 
fences  will  cost  in  five  years,  for  repairs,  about  as  much  as  a  rail 
fence.  The  plants  cost  one  dollar  per  thousand,  and  set  eighteen 
inches  apart  in  zigzag  lines.    None  of  these  lands  on  the  west  of 


16 

the  Chamilicon  are  subject  to  overflow,  except  at  a  few  points 
where  it  extends  into  the  valley,  about  three  miles:  this,  however, 
is  of  rare  occurrence,  and  so  rapid  is  the  stream,  and  so  great  the 
drainage  of  the  country,  that  these  floods  stand  but  a  short   time. 

I  have  been  somewhat  particular  in  details  in  my  notice  of  this 
valley,  because  the  lands  of  the  Georgia  Colony  are  located  in  it. 
This,  I  regard,  for  the  present,  the  most  commanding  point  in 
Honduras,  and  best  adapted  to  colonization.  The  City  of  Medina, 
located  by  the  colony,  near  San  Pedro,  is  on  the  great  thorough- 
fare from  all  Central  and  Western  Honduras  to  the  coast.  The 
Camayagua,  Santa  Barbara,  and  Gracius  roads  pass  through  it. 
At  this  point  trade  from  the  interior,  by  pack  mules,  will  meet 
transportation  by  water,  and  cut  off  the  long  travel  over  the 
mountains  to  Omoa.  This  place  also  has  the  advantage  of  fine 
water  power,  and  plenty  of  timber  for  building  purposes,  furniture, 
&c,   &c. 

Provisions  at  San  Pedro  are  cheaper  than  at  Omoa.  Corn 
seventy  cents  per  bushel ;  rice  three  cents  per  pound ;  sugar  five ; 
dulcy  two ;  fresh  beef  two ;  pork  three ;  coffee,  by  the  cargo,  six- 
teen cents ;  mules  thirty  to  forty  dollars  ;  best  saddle  mules,  price 
as  high  as  one  hundred  dollars ;  pack  mules,  twenty  to  thirty  ;  and 
milch  cows,  eight  to  fifteen  dollars. 

Having  examined  this  valley  to  my  satisfaction,  I  started,  in 
company  with  Maj's.  Malcolm  and  Goldsmith,  further  to  the  inte- 
rior. After  passing  the  Rio  Chamilicon,  the  country  is  divided 
for  about  twenty  miles  into  savannas  and  woodlands,  some  of 
which  are  rich,  well  watered,  and  inviting.  Here  we  encountered 
a  very  rough  and  rocky  road,  over  a  poor  and  rocky  elevation,  for 
ten  or  more  miles  to  Santiago,  a  small  indian  town  near  the  San- 
tiago river.  The  lands  in  this  vicinity  are  rich,  but  more  or  less 
liable  to  overflows.  Near  this  is  the  junction  of  the  Santiago,  or 
Ulua,  with  the  Blanco  and  Humua,  which  make  the  Ulua  proper. 
The  lands  on  all  these  rivers  are  rich,  but,  to  some  extent,  subject 
to  inundations,  except  the  Blanco.  From  this  point  to  Yojoa,  the 
country  presents  many  different  phases,  alternating  between  rocky 
hill  sides  and  smooth  fertile  valleys :  while  to  the  left  are  spread 
out  the  rich  and  beautiful  lands  of  the  Humua,  to  our  right  frown 
the  white  rocks  of  an  intruding  off-shoot  of  the  Conchea  Mountains. 
The  lands  here  are  evidently  impregnated  with  lime,  though  the 
water,  neither  in  appearance  or  taste,  indicates  it.  Experiments  of 
raising  short  staple  cotton  are  being  made  here  with  satisfactory 
results,  as  to  yield.  The  quality  of  this  cotton  I  pronounced  infe- 
rior, which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  use  of  bad  seed.  This 
town  is  located-  on  a  small  river  of  the  same  name,  which  affords 
water  power  sxifficient  to  turn,  within  a  distance  of  five  miles,  one 
hundred  thousand  spindles. 

The  country  now  commences  more  perceptibly  to  rise ;  and  in 
a  few  miles  you  are  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  which  lifts  itself 
from   the  valley  near   two   thousand  feet :   at    its   base  a  little 


17 

creek  of  pure  limpid  water  murmurs  along.  When  upon  the  top, 
you  are  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
You  turn  and  look  back  upon  the  broad  plains  of  Sula ; — east- 
ward, you  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  Humua ; 
westward,  lofty  mountains  loom  up  in  the  distance,  and  you  stand 
amazed  at  the  magnificent  scene  spread  before  you.  But,  again 
you  turn  to  pursue  your  journey,  and  find  yourself  in  a  new  sphere. 
Nature  wears  a  different  garb.  So  sudden  the  change  that  you 
can  hardly  realize  it,  though  admonished  by  the  cool  and  balmy 
air  that  altituded  has  tempered  the  winds  over  four  degrees. 
The  table  lands  are  now  spread  before  you. 

The  jungle  of  the  wood  lands,  the  thorn  and  cactus  of  the  sa- 
vannas of  the  valley,  no  longer  obstruct  your  view.  You  are  on 
a  prairie  broken  into  beautiful  sloping  hills,  with  flat  tops  and 
superb  intervening  little  valleys,  skirted  with  orchards  of  small 
pine,  species  of  oak,  and  a  great  variety  of  tropical  trees.  Herds 
of  large  fat  cattle,  ponies,  mules,  sheep,  and  goats  feed  lazily  upon 
the  nice  green  grass.  Deer  and  other  game  hide  in  the  thick  woods 
that  curtain  the  creeks  and  branches,  birds  of  rare  and  beautiful 
plumage  sport  among  the  trees,  and  turkeys,  quails,  and  lark 
quietly  slip  through  the  grass.  Thus  you  gaze  upon  the  picture,  and 
upheavings  of  grateful  inspiration  swell  your  bosom,  and  your  lips, 
unbidden,  proclaim  the  goodness  of  God.  I  did  not  ascertain,  defi- 
nitely, the  area  of  this  table,  but  from  the  information  received,  it 
extended  from  the  Humua  River  on  the  east  to  the  Rio  Blanco 
on  the  west,  with  a  general  width  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles. 
The  soil  is  a  dark  chocolate,  from  one  to  four  feet  deep,  with  a 
deep  red  clay  foundation,  and  has  the  appearance  of  being  very  rich. 
These  lands  are  very  little  cultivated,  and  up  to  the  present,  used 
exclusively  for  stock. 

At  Santa  Cruz,  a  small  village  situated  near  tne  southern  limit, 
we  saw  growing,  coffee,  sugar-cane,  plaintains,  and  freehol- 
ers,  or  beans,  all  of  which  looked  fine.  We  were  told  by  the  in- 
habitants that  corn  and  vegetables  grew  and  yielded  abundantly. 
Throughout  this  elevation,  but  little  change  in  the  character  of 
the  soil  is  discovered.  Upon  the  greatest  elevation,  it  is  not  un- 
frequent  to  see  fifty  or  a  hundred  acres  of  smooth,  level  land.  The 
slopes  are  generally  gradual,  and,  in  exceptional  cases,  where  the 
hills  are  more  precipitous,  nature  has  spread  wider  the  valleys, 
and  given  a  slightly  deeper  tint  to  the  soil.  The  only  objectionable 
feauture  I  saw  in  the  whole  plat  of  land,  are  the  fields  of  rock, 
which  rise  up  like  potato  hills,  and  sometimes  cover  many  acres ; 
but  the  proportion  covered  by  rock  is  not  large.  I  am,  how- 
ever, of  the  opinion  that  more  or  less  rock  would  be  found  on 
these  lands  anywhere  within  the  limits  of  one  section.  Among 
these  rocks  you  see  no  change  in  the  color  or  fertility  of  the  soil, 
nor  in  the  luxuriance  of  the  grass.  I  am  informed  by  travelers, 
that  many  of  the  finest  lands  in  Mexico  are  covered  in  the  same 
manner,  with  rock  of  similar  appearance.  It  is  evident  that  these 
2 


18 

lands  cannot  be  cultivated  with  ease  ;  and  should  they  prove  valu- 
less  for  that  purpose,  they  furnish  beautiful  and  perpetual  pas- 
tures. It  was  the  opinion  of  our  party,  that  the  supply  of  water 
was  abundant,  and  pure  free-stone.  We  wero  riding  over  these 
lands  from  four  in  the  morning  until  sunset. 

At  four,  A.  M.,  thick  ooats,  well  buttoned,  were  pleasant ;  as 
the  day  advanced,  the  warmth  gradually  increased,  and  at  twelve, 
M.,  the  suu  was  warm ;  but  so  cool  and  braoing  was  the  breeze, 
that  the  heat  of  the  sun  did  not  oppress  us.  As  the  day  waned, 
and  the  sun  cast  long  shadows  to  the  east,  the  mercury  sank,  until, 
at  nightfall,  it  was  as  cool  as  the  hottest  blood  would  wish.  In 
the  shade,  at  noon,  it  was  delightful — constantly  fanned  by  the 
winds  that  are  ever  there,  to  cool  and  refresh.  Greon  fields  of 
waving  grass  greet  your  eye,  whithersoever  turned,  and  long 
serpentine  lines  of  darker  green  index  the  course  of  some  bab- 
bling brook,  that  merrily  murmurs  on  its  way  to  its  chief,  the  Rio 
Humua,  or  Rio  Blanoo,  which  sweeps  along  on  either  side,  on 
their  way  to  the  Caribbean.  Suddenly  you  find  yourself  ascen- 
ding a  gradual  slope,  covered  with  pine,  and  a  species  of  scrub 
oak,  up  which  a  wagon  road  may  be  cut  with  ease.  Ere  you  are 
aware,  six  or  eight  hundred  feet  altitude  may  be  added  to  that 
already  gained,  whioh  gives  you  an  elevation  of  near  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Here  bursts  upon  your  view  a 
scene  still  more  grand,  if  possible,  than  the  one  just  described. 

The  surface  of  the  country  is  broken  into  higher  hills,  but  fur- 
nishing, as  the  other,  many  level  elevations  and  gently  sloping 
ridges.  Here  bald  mountains  lift  their  summits  above,  as  if  to 
keep  watch  while  nature  revels  in  the  luxuriance  around  them. 
These,  like  the  others,  present  their  clusters  of  timber  and  cooling 
brooks,  and  have  their  cattle  of  a  thousand  hills.  The  soil  is  dark 
mulatto,  and  free  of  rock.  This  also  extends  from  the  Rio  Humua 
on  the  east,  to  Lake  Yojoa  on  the  west,  and  south,  to  the  Monte- 
cello  mountains.  We  saw  several  inland  pools  of  clear,  fresh  wa- 
ter, said  to  be  constant  and  pure,  which  nature  had  provided  for 
this  chosen  spot.  These  pools  have  capacity  of  water  for  thou- 
sands of  cattle.  In  these  pools  we  saw  a  beautiful  species  of  wild 
duck,  and  other  fowls.  We  had  already  seen  enough  to  delight 
and  gladden  the  heart.  A  bountiful  Providence  had  here  be- 
stowed his  gifts  in  richest  profusion,  nevertheless  Goldsmith  and 
myself  were  curious  to  see  the  renowned  Lake  Yojoa.  We  turned 
our  course  from  Santa  Cruz,  and  after  a  travel  of  over  two  and  a 
half  leagues,  passing  a  country  fully  equal  to  any  seen,  we  reached 
a  skirt  of  pines,  watered  by  several  creeks  with  deep  banks,  water 
clear  and  pure,  shut  in  b\  short  steep  hills — the  banks  and  nar- 
row valleys  thickly  wooded,  with  tropical  trees — while  on  the  hill 
sides  nestled  a  great  variety  of  succulent  plants,  shaded  by  pines 
and  undergrowth,  of  a  species  of  dogwood,  papaw,  &c.  We  now 
entered  a  pine  forest,  set  with  tall  bodied  pines — none  so  large  as 
you  frequently  see  in  the  States — carpeted  with  grass  about  a  foot 
high,  and  sufficiently  undulating  for  necessary  drainage. 


Soil  deep  mulatto,  fine  and  mixed  but  little  with  rock  or  gravel, 
eighteen  inches  deep,  with  red  clay  foundation.  Here  Goldsmith 
went  into  exstacies,  declaring  that  the  handiwork  of  God  had 
planted  and  arranged  in  this  wilderness  a  park  so  richly  embel- 
lished by  nature,  that  naught  remained  but  a  few  graveled  walks 
and  lounging  benches,  to  make  it  the  loveliest  spot  on  earth.  The 
pinery  extends  several  miles — the  exact  erea  we  could  not  learn  ; 
but  from  our  knowledge  of  the  country,  suppose  it  to  be  small — 
not  more  than  four  or  five  miles  square. :  it  then  breaks  into  bald 
and  pine  hills,  which  extend  to  the  lake,  at  its  northern  limit. 
These  pine  lands,  as  also  the  table  lands,  are  kept  burned  by  the 
herdsmen,  so  as  to  have  grass  in  every  stage  for  the  cattle.  The 
grass  in  one  year  will  grow  two  or  three  feet  high,  and  become 
sufficiently  dry  at  the  top  to  burn  off.  In  places  where  the  grass 
has  not  been  burned  for  several  years,  it  is  so  high  that  horsemen 
experience  difficulty  in  getting  through  it — frequently  reaching  the 
animal's  back.  Leaving  the  pinery  just  mentioned,  we  pass  along 
the  foot  of  some  hills,  unconscious,  from  the  appearance  of  the 
country,  of  our  near  approach  to  the  deep  blue  waters  of  Lake 
Yojoa. 

Turning  these  hills,  thick  wooded  mountains  hung  with  foliage 
of  many  hues,  spring  up  before  you:  along  their  green  sides 
seem  to  hang  a  wide  curtain  of  clouds.  You  are  surprised  to  know 
that  this  is  the  waters  of  the  great  inland  sea,  bathing  the  feet  of 
the  mountains,  instead  of  clouds,  lying  half  up  on  their  sides.  This 
scenery  is  grand  and  inspiring.  Here  the  lover  of  romance  finds 
a  field  for  his  imagination,  the  poet  a  theme  for  his  songs,  and 
the  artist  material  worthy  his  skill.  You  think,  while  gazing 
upon  this  delightful  scene,  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  sail  on 
these  waters,  to  sport  with  your  double-barrel  gun,  or  while  away 
an  hour  with  your  angling  rod.  On  the  bosom  of  these  waters 
are  sporting  fowls  of  many  kinds,  and  droves  of  wild  ducks.  Fish 
of  choice  varieties  are  taken.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  eating  a 
piece  of  a  large  scale  fish  taken  from  this  lake,  which  was  deli- 
cious. 

The  general  direction  of  the  lake  north  and  south  is  about 
twenty-five  miles  in  extent,  with  a  width  of  from  two  to  four 
miles.  We  saw  large  herds  of  cattle  feeding  on  the  margin,  and 
droves,  sleek  as  moles,  panting  with  fatness,  quietly  lying  in  the 
mid-day's  sun,  in  three  minutes  walk  of  pleasant  shades.  It  was 
just  meridian  when  we  reached  the  lake :  the  sun  shone  hot,  but 
not  oppressive.  This  lake  is  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  We  were  told  that  near  the  southern  terminus 
is  a  spring  of  blue  water,  called  the  Blue  Spring,  said  to  be  fath- 
omless, and  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  which  rushes  its  blue  floods 
into  the  great  basin.  The  Rio  Blanco  is  the  only  outlet.  This 
beautiful  stream  flows  out  from  the  lake,  soon  disappears,  rises 
again  in  a  few  miles,  plunges  over  a  succession  of  falls,  and  then, 
within  its  narrow  banks,  swiftly  glides  on  to  its  union  with  the 


20 

Humua,  carrying,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  from  three  to  four 
feet  of  water.  On  the  west  of  this  lake,  mountains  shut  it,  for 
its  entire  length  to  the  water  ;  on  the  east,  sloping  ridges,  covered 
only  with  grass,  pine  groves,  and  level  valleys,  border  it  from 
north  to  south. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  these  table  lands  will  produce  good 
wheat.  Such  conclusions  are  not  at  all  strange,  for  any  person 
who  has  seen  the  mulatto  lands  of  the  States,  is  naturally  led,  by 
analogy  of  soils,  to  that  conclusion.  If  a  cold  climate,  frosts,  and 
snows,  are  not  absolute  requisites  to  the  production  of  that  grain, 
this  is  certainly  a  chosen  spot  *,  and  such  does  not  seem  to  be  the 
fact,  from  the  trials  made  in  the  departments  of  Comayagua,  Te- 
gucegalpa,  and  Gracius.  In  the  elevations  in  these  departments,  a 
very  good  article  of  wheat  is  grown,  giving  a  yield  of  fifteen  bush- 
els to  ha|f  peck  seed  sown ;  and  I  see  no  reason  why  it  sheuld  not 
be  produced  on  these  lands  in  quantities  and  quality  equal  to  Cama- 
yagua,  the  elevation  being  equally  as  great,  and  the  climate  as 
oold.  If  wheat-growing  should  pro>e  successful  on  these  tables, 
it  can  find  ready  markets  and  remunerative  prices  in  all  northern 
Honduras.  Water  power,  sufficient  for  every  accommodation,  can 
be  had  within  ten  miles  of  any  given  point. 

Having  reached  the  southern  limit  of  these  table  lands,  you  de- 
scend a  winding  mule  path,  to  a  small  valley  of  rich  land,  very 
rocky,  watered  by  a  magnificent  stream,  which  fitfully  plunges  its 
limpid  waters  over  shoal  and  cataract,  until  it  joins  the  Rio  Hu- 
mua. This  is  the  dividing  line  between  the  departments  of  Santa 
Barbara  and  Comayagua.  Our  path  now  lay  across  a  range  of 
mountains,  for  fifty  miles,  to  the  plains  of  the  Rio  Humua.  The 
roads  are  very  rough  and  rugged — in  many  places  so  steep  that 
mules  ascend  and  descend  with  much  difficulty.  It  is  not  unlre- 
quent  that  you  see  holes  cut  in  the  sand-stones  ten  inches  deep,  by 
the  long  and  constant  tread  of  mules.  These  mountains  rise  up 
like  huge  cones,  three  or  four  thousand  feet,  with  many  narrow 
valleys  intervening,  traversed  by  innumerable  streams  of  purest 
water.  These  valleys  are  not  of  sufficient  capacity  to  be  sought 
for,  and  even  were  they  large,  their  inaccessibility  would  render 
them  comparatively  valueless.  The  scenery  is  grand  beyond  de- 
scription. Here,  every  variety  of  mountain  scenery  is  presented  : 
to  your  right,  you  see  a  mountain  covered  with  trees  of  many 
kinds,  the  rays  of  the  sun  rarely  penetrating  its  vine-clad  sides ; 
to  your  left,  a  tall  peak,  covered  only  with  green  grass,  while  yon 
are  tugging  among  pines,  rocks,  and  scrub  oaks,  to  reach  the  sum- 
mit of  the  one  in  your  way.  Along  this  route,  we  saw  some  very 
beautiful  pine  ridges,  covered  with  fine  grass,  soil  apparently  rich, 
and  would  be  desirable  for  settlement,  if  not  so  inaccessible. 
Many  of  these  mountains  are  very  poor,  and  covered  with  rock  of 
every  formation,  in  many  places  indicating  rich  deposits  of  silver, 
iron,  copper,  and  gold.  In  ascending  and  descending  these  moun- 
tains, you  give  rein  to  your  mule,  and  in  hia  meanderings  to  the 


21 

top  or  bottom,  will  frequently  face  you  to  every  point  of  the  oom- 
pass.  All  along  this  line  we  found  settlers  and  small  towns, 
where  was  found  shelter,  and  people  willing  to  share  their  stock 
of  provisions  with  us.  The  fare  was  sometimes  coarse,  and  the 
service  rude  and  primitive,  but  with  keen  appetites,  which  our 
crowd  always  had,  we  did  not  hesitate  to  finger  from  the  same 
dish,  or  sip  from  the  same  gourd.  These  mountain  settlers  are  a 
rude,  hardy  people,  ignorant  of  the  improvements  of  the  age  in 
which  they  live,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  fathers  in  many 
of  their  habits  and  customs.  They  are  honest,  kind,  and  peacea- 
ble, but  lazy  and  ignorant.  We  saw  many  fine  cattle  feeding  on 
these  mountains,  some  excellent  hogs,  and  numbers  of  ponies.  We 
passed  ofi°  these  mountains  into  the  plains  of  Humua,  ten  leagues 
north  of  the  capital.  It  was  a  relief,  now,  to  get  upon  the  level 
plains  and  look  upon  the  broad  fields  of  grass.  The  greater  part 
of  these  lands  are  very  rich — some  of  it  liable  to  overflow.  In  thirty 
miles  travel  over  these  lands,  may  be  seen  almost  every  variety  of 
soil.  We  passed  up  this  valley  for  several  miles,  and  after  passing 
over  a  short  range  of  mountains,  entered  the  valley  of  Coma- 
yagua. 

We  remained  in  the  city  of  Comayagua  two  days,  and  started 
for  Tegucegalpa,  the  largest  and  most  flourishing  city  in  the  Re- 
public. The  road  passes  through  the  heart  of  Comayagua  Valley 
for  thirty  miles,  and  strikes  the  mountains  at  the  point  where  the 
railroad  survey  enters,  and  follows  that  line  up  the  gap  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans, 
and  to  the  head  springs  of  the  Goascoran  and  the  Humua,  which, 
for  a  short  distance,  run  in  parallel  lines  in  opposite  directions — the 
one  to  the  Pacific,  the  other  to  the  Atlantic.  This  is  the  highest 
point  and  the  heaviest  grade  on  that  survey.  Not  being  a  practical 
engineer,  my  opinion  is  worth  but  little;  but  I  will  venture  to  say, 
that  if  this  is  the  most  difficult  point,  the  construction  of  the  road 
is  perfectly  feasible.  Being  in  search  of  the  President,  and  hear- 
ing at  this  romantic  spot,  that  he  would  be  at  Floris  that  night,  a 
small  town  in  the  valley  we  had  just  left,  we  t'urned  our  course, 
and  on  reaching  that  place,  found  the  President,  with  his  Cabinet 
and  escort  of  soldiers.  After  refreshments,  we  were  invited  to  an 
interview  with  the  President  and  Cabinet. 

We  were  received  with  marked  courtesy,  and  invited  to  the 
Capital,  with  the  assurance  that  all  we  asked  "for  would  be  granted. 
The  President,  Jose  Maria  Medina,  is  a  Castillian,  probably  quarter 
Indian,  a  fine  looking  gentleman,  polished  manners,  and  fine  prac- 
tical sense:  he  was  visiting  the  Capital  at  that  time,  with  the  view 
of  depositing  the  Government  for  three  months  with  Gen.  Lopez, 
the  gentleman  chosen  by  Congress  for  that  purpose.  It  is  pro- 
vided by  the  Constitution,  that  the  President  may,  if  he  chooses, 
relieve  himself  for  three  months  in  each  year  from  all  business  re- 
lations with  the  Government,  by  depositing  it  with  one  of  three 
persons  who  are  designated  by  Congress  for  that  purpoe9.     We 


22 

returned  to  the  Capital  next  day,  filed  application  through  Maj. 
Malcolm  for  a  grant  of  land,  which  the  town  of  San  Pedro  had 
agreed  to  relinquish  to  us,  if  the  Government  would  endorse  her 
action.  The  President  at  once  made  a  deed  in  fee  to  Maj.  Greene 
Malcolm  and  the  colony  there,  with  the  condition,  that  if  the 
colony  at  the  end  of  three  years  did  not  have  five  hundred  souls, 
all  the  lands  not  occupied  should  revert  back  to  the  Government, 
and  the  title  only  vest  in  such  as  are  occupied  at  that  time. 

The  colony,  with  a  spirit  of  great  liberality,  determined  to  take 
for  themselves  of  the  valley  lands  granted  to  them,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  and  give  the  same  number  of  acres  to  any  of  their 
friends  who  may  join  them.     In  behalf  of  those  who  sent  me,  I 
arranged  for  each  head  of  a  family  to  get  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  ;  each  single  man  one  hundred,  with  all  the  rights,  privileges, 
and  immunities  of  the  original  members  of  the  colony.    To  this 
colony  has  been  granted  the  exclusive  right  of  the  manufacture  of 
cotton,  wool,  and  other  fibres,  into  fabrics  of  all  kinds,  for  the  pe- 
riod of  ten  years ;  the  exclusive  navigation  of  the  rivers  Ulua, 
Chamilicon,  and  their  tributaries,  for  the  term  of  eight  years ;  the 
exclusive  right  of  the  introduction  and  establishment  of  saw-mills, 
shingle-mills^  tin-factories,  &c,  for  eight  years  ;  the  exclusive  pri- 
vilege of  the  introduction  of  wagons,  carriages,  and  buggies,  for  the 
period  of  eight  years;  the  exclusive  right  for  the  refining  of  su- 
gars for  eight  years ;  a  free  port  at  Porto  Cabalos,  and  the  right 
of  free  export  from  any  port  in  the  Republic  for  the  term  of  three 
years  ;  and  exemption  fiom  all  taxes  two  years ;  and  from  all  mili- 
tary duty  four  years.     These  are  the  special  favors  that  are  ex- 
tended to  this  colony.     The  total  number  of  acres  of  land  granted 
to  this  colony,  is  generally  estimated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand,— of  valley  lands  about  forty  thousand.   The  valley  lands 
only,  are  prized  at  this  time  ;  and  of  these  this  colony  has  enough 
for  many  of  their  friends.     We  were  assured  by  the  President  and 
many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Republic,  that  we  should  have  as 
many  lands  as  we  wanted ;  that  they  wanted  our  people  to  have 
those  rich  and  beautiful  valleys  which,  for  centuries,  had  been  lying 
m  waste ;  and  that  every  nerve  of  the  government  would  be  ex- 
erted for  our  protection.     The  President  voluntarily  inserted  in 
the  grant,  the  right  of  this  colony  to  elect  their  own  Governor,  as 
soon  as  they  number  five  hundred  souls ;  and  the  privilege,  at  pre- 
sent, to  elect  their  own  municipal  officers  for  their  own  govern- 
ment.    While  at  the  capital,  we  received  many  attentions,  and 
were  treated  with  the  most  profound  respect  by  all  classes.     Co- 
mayaugua  is  an  old  looking  place — much  dilapidated :  it  has  one 
cathedral,  five  churches,  government  house,  and  public  market. 
Ihe  cathedral,  within,  is  peculiarly  constructed  with  numerous 
well-turned  arches,  handsomely  wrought  columns,  gilded  altars,  gra- 
ven images,  and  paintings  representing  the  crucifixion  of  Christ 
and  the  martyrs ;  walls  of  bronz,  filled  with  emblems  and  nitches 
containing  the  saints  and  virgins. 


23 

One  picture  attracted  my  attention — a  martyr,  suspended  upon 
a  cross,  his  enemies  around  with  grim  and  blood  thirsty  counte- 
nances, witnessing  the  executioner  cutting  in  flakes  the  flesh  from 
his  arms  :  amidst  all,  he  shouts  triumph  to  his  God,  and  welcomes 
his  life's  blood  as  it  flows  from  his  gastly  wounds.  Near  by  wa3 
a  woman,  kneeling,  with  eyes  fixed  upon  the  cross,  (behind  which 
was  a  blazing  star)  repeating  her  prayers.  I  could  but  think  what 
a  commentary  upon  the  civilization  of  this  day,  when  boasted  wis- 
dom and  boasted  privileges,  alike  abused,  to  frequent  sacrifice  at 
the  altar  of  licentiousness,  or  bow  to  the  god  of  mammon.  The 
houses  are  generally  built  of  adobe,  plastered  in  and  out  with  lime, 
floored  with  brick  eight  inches  square — some  of  them  neatly  paint- 
ed .  The  population  is  estimated  at  six  thousand.  The  proportion 
of  Castillians  is  much  larger  here  than  in  the  country  villages ; 
though  you  find  every  class  represented  any  where  you  go.  Con- 
siderable taste,  both  among  gentlemen  and  ladies,  in  dress,  is  here 
displayed.  An  acquaintance  with  the  Spanish  language,  would  give 
pleasant  society  here,  or  at  Tegucegalpa,  or  Gracius.  The  contem- 
plated railroad  passes  near  this  city,  and  would  rejuvinate  it,  if 
built.  It  is  located  near  the  Rio  Humua,  from  which  the  city  is 
supplied  with  water,  carried  by  servants,  in  large  earthern  jars. 
This  is  a  very  quiet  place ;  the  people  sober  and  well  behaved ; 
and  the  merchants  seem  to  be' doing  some  trade.  We  found  a  mil- 
liner and  taylor  shop,  which  had  the  appearance  of  a  fine  business. 
Nothing  in  the  mechanical  line,  except  by  one  man,  a  French  gen- 
tleman, who  is  a  jack  at  all  trades,  and  always  busy ;  and  but  for 
his  princely  liberality,  would  soon  amass  a  fortune.  This  city  is 
near  the  west  limit  of  the  valley,  near  the  mountains  west  and  north. 
The  mercury  runs  higher  at  this  place  than  at  many  of  the  neigh- 
boring villages.  This  is  a  beautiful  valley  of  fine  lands,  producing 
all  the  articles  before  named ;  and  in  addition  to  them,  I  saw  cochi- 
neal and  wheat  grown  not  far  distant.  The  wheat,  a  very  good 
article,  makes  nice  flour  and  fair  yields.  All  the  flour  used  in  the 
departments  of  Comayaugua,  Tegucegalpa,  and  Gracius,  is  made 
from  wheat  produced  in  the  country.  Near  the  capital,  we  visited 
the  hot  springs.  The  water  is  so  hot  that  you  can  only  bear  your 
finger  in  it  three  seconds :  several  frogs  were  in  it  cooked  dun ;  and 
it  is  said  to  possess  great  healing  properties. 

I  saw  corn  growing  in  this  valley,  equal,  if  not  superior  to  any  I 
ever  saw  in  the  States.  Also,  several  stalks  of  cotton,  two  years 
old,  well  loaded  with  old  bolls,  but  did  not  have  the  opportunity 
of  examining  the  cotton.  While  at  the  capitol,  I  saw  several 
pianos.  The  Spanish  are  all  passionately  fond  of  music  and  dan- 
cing. Some  of  them  perform  well  upon  tho  violin  and  guitar,  and 
other  instruments.  They  are  a  great  people  for  the  celebration  and 
observance  of  their  fiestas  and  holidays.  These  days  are  too  often  to 
suit  American  industry,  and  will  interfere,  to  some  extent,  with  the 
native  labor — for  it  is  impossible  to  get  them  to  work  on  these 
days.    Marriage  occasions  are  great  times  with  them — they  usually 


24 

fiddle  and  dance  for  several  days :  in  fact,  they  never  quit,  as 
long  as  wine  and  provisions  are  furnished.  They  move  in  the 
dance  with  an  elegance  and  grace  unsurpassed.  Upon  examination 
of  the  market  here,  I  found  that  prices,  in  every  article  of  trade, 
had  changed.  Dry  goods  of  every  description,  and  hardware,  are 
fifty  per  cent,  higher  than  in  Omoa.  Groceries  cheaper.  Best 
sugar  retails  at  four,  and  dulcy  at  two  cents  per  pound  ;  coffee  at 
sixteen,  and  chocolate  at  twenty-five  cents  per  pound  ;  fresh  beef 
at  two  cents  per  pound ;  pork  at  three  cents  per  pound ;  milch 
cows  six  dollars  ;  stock  cattle  four  dollars  per  head  ;  corn  at  sev- 
enty-five cents  per  bushel;  wheat  one  dollar  per  bushel,  etc.,  etc. 

I  was  not  in  the  department  of  Olancho,  but  from  the  best  in- 
formation I  could  obtain,  I  consider  that  a  delightful  section.  This 
is  the  great  gold  district,  of  which  Mr.  Squires  and  others  speak. 
I  met  several  gentlemen  of  experience  and  intelligence,  who  have 
recently  visited  that  section,  and  seen  tests  made  on  the  Guagupe 
and  Padooka,  and  some  of  the  small  tributaries  of  these  streams. 
These  gentlemen  are  of  opinion  that  gold  exists  in  abundance  in 
these  rivers  ;  and  that  rich  srrface  diggings  maybe  found  through- 
out a  large  portion  of  country,  along  the  course  of  these  streams. 
The  tests  reported  by  these  gentlemen,,  one  of  whom  is  the  vice 
American  Consul  at  Truxillo,  sound  almost  incredible ;  yet  I 
must  accredit  it.  The  river  test,  to  each  pan  of  gravel  lifted  from 
the  bottom,  gave  from  six  grains  to  a  penniweight.  On  the  sur- 
face, the  return  is  not  so  great,  but  sufficient  to  justify  working 
with  the  pan  only.  He  also  stated  that  the  waters  in  these  rivers 
are  so  swift,  and  the  bottoms  so  exceedingly  rough  that  they  can- 
not be  successfully  worked,  only  by  turning  the  streams,  or  by 
the  use  of  flumes. 

Besides  gold,  Olancho  is  celebrated  as  a  stock  raising  country. 
I  have  seen  droves  of  cattle  from  there,  for  beauty  and  size,  equal 
to  any  cattle  I  ever  saw.  The  hair  of  these  cattle  is  much  finer 
than  our  stock,  or  those  of  Texas.  They  are  not  as  tall  as  the 
Texas  stock,  but  have  more  length  and  body.  Olancho  drives 
large  numbers  of  cattle  annually  to  the  market  of  Honduras  and 
the  adjoining  governments.  The  table  lands  and  glades  of  Santa 
Barbara  supply  the  markets  north  of  them,  and  sometimes  drive  to 
Salvador.  Cattle,  mules,  and  horses,  are  bought  cheaper  in  Olan- 
cho than  at  any  other  place  in  Central  America.  Prices  range  for 
mules  and  horses,  from  fifteen  to  forty  dollars ;  stock  cattle,  three 
dollars  per  head ;  while  on  the  table  lands  they  range  from  twenty 
to  sixty  dollars,  and  four  dollars  per  head  for  cattle  ;  milch  cows 
are  bought  anywhere  south  of  the  Rio  Santiago,  at  six  dollars ; 
stock  hogs  are  scarce,  but  when  found  for  sale  are  bought  for  two 
cents  per  pound  gross.  The  great  attractions  of  Olancho  are  gold 
and  stock ;  but  her  geographical  position  renders  her  undesirable, 
except  for  those  objects.  Tegucegalpo  and  Gracilis  owe  their  pros- 
perity to  their  rich  silver  mines.  These  are  the  only  mines  worked 
in  the  Republic;    although  many  valuable  mines  are  known  to 


25 

exist.  The  silver  mines  of  Honduras  are  said  to  yield  a  large  per 
cent.,  equal  to  any  in  the  world.  This  small  Republic  abounds  in 
minerals  of  almost  every  kind.  No  country  on  the  face  of  the 
globe,  to  the  same  extent,  possesses  greater  resources ;  not  only 
has  she  gold  and  silver,  but  she  has  copper  mines  of  unsurpassed 
richness.  Iron  in  the  greatest  abundance ;  platina,  tin,  and  many 
other  minerals.  Also,  many  precious  stones,  of  exquisite  bril- 
liancy and  beauty :  such  as  topaz,  opal,  and  jasper.  I  secured 
some  small  specimens  of  opal  and  jasper.  These  stones  are  valua- 
ble, and  always  ready  sale  in  the  European  markets.  Dye-woods 
of  most  choice  colors,  are  found  on  the  mountains  and  in  the  val- 
leys, in  the  greatest  abundance.  Of  their  number,  I  will  only 
mention  the  fustic,  bassillette,  logwood,  and  dragons:blood  ;  while 
cochinela  and  indigd  flourish  with  but  little  care.  These  dye  stuffs 
command  high  prices  in  the  United  States  and  European  markets. 
Gums,  resinous  substances,  balsoms,  turpentine,  and  oils,  may  be 
gathered  and  manufactured  in  any  quantity,  with  but  little  cost 
for  the  material.  Many  of  the  balsom  trees  are  said  to  yield  as 
much  as  one  hundred  gallons  per  tree.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  am- 
bre  tree  will  give  that  quantity  of  balsom  annually.  Its  medicinal 
properties  are  not  fully  known  ;  but  it  is  thought  to  possess  great 
virtues.  Palmachrystal  grows  to  the  size  of  plum  trees,  without 
care  or  culture.  An  excellent  quality  of  burning  oil  is  made  of 
the  cahoon  nut,  which  is  abundant.  It  is  sometimes  used  for 
cooking  purposes,  and  said  to  be  a  good  substitute  for  lard :  I  have 
but  little  doubt  of  its  being  a  fine  lubricating  oil ;  and  if  so,  it  will 
give  profitable  employment  to  any  persons  who  may  engage  in  it. 
The  tallow  and  soap  trees  are  sometimes  resorted  to  for  these  arti- 
cles. I  have  a  sample  of  the  products  of  the  tallow  tree.  Nature  has, 
indeed  been  lavish  in  her  gifts  to  that  heretofere  ill-fated  land ;  but 
I  trust  her  star  has  risen.  In  fact  there  is  no  lack  of  anything  that 
nature  can  bestow,  to  sustain,  to  satisfy,  and  to  delight.  So  abundant 
are  the  necessaries  of  life  that  none  need  want  them  :  so  profuse 
are  the  beauties  of  nature  that  they  are  suffered  to  decay  through 
neglect.  Nothing  is  wanted  but  the  energy  and  skill  ©f  our  peo- 
ple to  make  it  a  happy  and  prosperous  country.  It  is  frankly  ad- 
mitted, by  the  government  and  the  people,  that  they  will  never 
be  able  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  country ;  hence,  they  open 
wide  their  arms  to  receive  our  people,  believing  that  they  are  fully 
adequate  to  the  task.  The  course  pursued  by  the  Honduranian 
government,  in  relation  to  the  contemplated  Railroad  from  Parta 
Cabalos,  on  the  Caribbean,  to  Fonsica,  on  tbe  Pacific  ocean,  shows 
her  policy  in  relation  to  the  improvement  of  the  country,  If  that 
road  should  be  built,  the  lands  from  sea  to  sea  along  the  line,  would 
be  invaluable.  At  either  end  of  the  road  the  harbors  are  large  and 
commodious — perfectly  safe,  and  water  sufficient  for  the  largest 
vessels.  This  road  once  built,  and  it  becomes  the  great  thorough- 
fare from  Europe  to  China,  and  the  line  of  travel  between  the 
United  States  and  California,  shortening  the  Panama  route  twelve 


26 

hundred  miles,  and  over  a  road  safe  for  health  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year.  At  this  time  all  the  goods  brought  into  Honduras,  on  the 
Pacific  slope,  passes  over  the  Panama  line  and  up  the  Pacific  to  La 
Union  and  San  Magil,  in  Salvador.  But  should  this  road  not  be 
built,  and  of  course  cannot  be  for  years,  the  navigation  of  theUlua 
or  Chamilicon  would  turn  that  trade  into  the  lap  of  the  Georgia 
colony,  and  at  once  establish  for  them  a  large  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness. It  will  be  observed  that  this  colony  has  located  the  city  of 
Medina  eighteen  leagues  south  of  Omoa,  and  directly  on  the  only 
line  of  communication  between  that  place  and  the  interior.  Com- 
munications established,  either  by  rail  or  water  between  the  city  of 
Medina  and  Porta  Cabalos,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  would  turn 
the  trade  of  Omoa  to  the  colony.  In  view  of  opening  this  trade  at 
once,  the  colony  have  unanimously  agreed  to  vest  all  the  special 
grants,  made  to  them  by  the  Government  of  Honduras,  in  a  joint 
stock  company,  and  have  appointed  agents  to  open  books  and  grant 
certificates  of  stock,  under  the  rules  prescribed  by  a  temporary 
board,  copies  of  which  will  be  hereto  appended.  It  will  be  observed 
that  residence  in  Honduras  is  not  a  requisite  to  obtain  or  hold 
stock.  These  special  grants  to  the  colony  is  the  highest  evi- 
dence I  can  offer  to  show  the  disposition  of  the  government  to- 
wards our  people.  If  they  want  homes  they  can  get  them  in  the 
Republic  of  Honduras.  As  to  lands,  none  can  be  found  richer : 
I  have  seen  the  soil  in  many  places  twelve  feet  deep,  with  cane  or 
bamboo  six  inohes  in  diameter,  and  sixty  feet  long.  Every  variety 
of  soil  is  found ;  from  chalky  knobb  and  pipe  clay  plains  to  lands 
rich  as  rthe  delta  of  the  Nile,  wj>h  almost  every  product  of  the 
temporate  and  torid  zones.  As  to  climate,  none  can  be  more  salu- 
brious than  is  here  offered.  On  the  coast  it  is  almost  a  perpetual 
summer ;  but  as  you  go  inland  and  ascend  the  high  lands,  the  cli- 
mate becomes  more  temperate  until  you  reach  the  point  of  per- 
petual spring.  These  highest  elevations  are  not  adapted  to  the 
culture  of  cotton,  or  the  growth  of  the  banana,  or  plantain,  but 
wheat  and  the  peach  flourishes  finely.  I  saw  no  peaches  or  apples 
myself;  was  informed  that  both  thrived  in  the  departments  of 
Gracius  and  Tegucegalpa.  This  information  was  obtained  from 
gentlemen  whose  viracity  cannot  be  doubted.  The  health  of  the 
country  is  good ;  the  diseases  generally  mild  and  easily  controlled. 
Typhus  forms  of  fever  and  phneumonia  are  scarcely  known  among 
the  people :  consumption,  rheumatism,  and  indigestion,  are  rarely 
seen.  The  diseases,  as  already  stated — billious  and  intermittent 
fevers — are  -the  prevailing  complaints  of  the  country.  I  saw  but 
little  sickness  of  any  kind,  and,  taking  everything  into  considera- 
tion, I  consider  it  as  healthy  a  country  as  I  was  ever  in.  In- 
stances of  great  age  are  frequent,  and  several  who  had  seen  a  cen- 
tury pass  were  pointed  out  to  me.  Foreigners  going  into  the 
country  are  liable  to  be  sick  in  acclimating :  children  generally 
appear  to  enjoy  fine  health,  and  wear  but  little  clothing,  and  may 
go  entirely  naked.    Bathing  is  a  daily  habit  with  the  natives ;  they 


27 

consider  it  a  great  luxury  to  bathe  in  the  streams,  and  both  sex 
are  said  sometimes  to  bathe  in  the  same  stream  together.  This  I 
did  not  see,  but  frequently  saw  them  near  each  other — the  women 
wearing  a  habit.  This  is  a  custom  of  the  country,  and  not  thought 
at  all  indelicate. 

The  better  class  appear  to  be  moral  and  virtuous,  which  is  evi- 
denced by  the  great  pains  they  take  with  their  children,  daily  im- 
pressing upon  their  minds  the*  importance  of  a  good  and  virtuous 
life.  I  have  never  seen  anywhere  greater  exhibitions  of  affection 
between  parent  and  child,  or  more  obedience  and  respect  paid  to 
parents  than  in  Honduras.  But  while  all  this  is  true,  it  is  also  true, 
that  a  dissolute  class  may  be  found ;  but  candor  compels  me  to 
say  that  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  a  woman  exposing  herself  pub- 
licly in  debauch.  Carousing,  rioting,  and  fighting  is  not  often 
seen  or  heard  of.  Murder,  robbery,  and  larceny  are  rare  occur- 
rences. Atlanta  and  environs  has  been  the  scene  of  more  murder, 
robbery,  and  theft  in  twelve  months,  with  her  population  of 
20,000  than  all  Honduras,  in  four  years,  with  a  population  of 
400,000.  No  such  thing  as  a  banditti  in  the  Republic.  Although 
the  people  are  fond  of  rum,  they  are  not  often  seen  drunk  and 
boisterous.  I  found  them  universally  kind,  and  moderate  in  their 
charges — in  all  the  interior — meals  averaging  about  12^  cents.  I 
found,  all  through  the  country,  plantains,  fresh  and  dried  beef, 
bread,  or  tortillas,  coffee,  milk,  fresh  pork,  cheese,  dried  beans, 
flour,  poultry,  yams,  and  eggs.  Those  who  make  any  pretensions 
to  living,  will  generally  set  you  a  variety  of  these  articles ;  but 
the  moses,  or  laborers,  are  satisfied  with  plantains,  dried  beef,  or 
pork,  w  ith  such  fruits  and  natural  products  as  they  draw  from  the 
forest.  No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  bacon  pork ;  but  it  is 
saved  for  weeks  by  cutting  into  small  strips,  dried  in  the  sun,  and 
hung  in  a  house.  Beef  is  saved  in  the  same  way.  The  process  of 
saving  pork  in  pickle  has  proven  a  success  in  Guatemala,  and  there 
can  be  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  as  successful  in  Honduras. 
The  inhabitants  generally  live  in  towns,  and  cultivate  small  patches 
in  the  vicinity  ;  though  haciendas  are  found  scattered  all  over  the 
country.  The  men  do  the  outdoor  work — the  women  the  duties 
of  the  housewife.  The  women  wash  and  iron  well,  and  are  sure 
to  take  out  every  speck  of  dirt,  even  if  the  filling  has  to  go  with 
it.  The  laboring  class  can  be  hired  at  from  two  dollars  to  four 
dollars  per  month  ;  but  they  are  generally  slow,  and  being  unac- 
quainted with  our  mode  of  cooking,  are  not  highly  appreciated  by 
our  women  as  servants. 

These  people  have  many  strange  ideas  and  customs,  never  at- 
tempting to  change  anything  established  by  custom ;  yet,  they 
are  imitative,  and  not  so  tenacious  as  to  refuse  the  use  of  modern 
inventions,  and  the  adoption  of  modern  improvements.  In  Hon- 
duras we  find  the  same  idea  in  relation  to  plowing  that  prevailed 
with  the  early  Spaniards  of  Louisiana.  They  held  that  plowing 
the  rioh  lands  of  Mississippi  would  force  everything  to  stalk,  and 


2® 

prevent  yield ;  and  such  are  the  notions  of  the  Honduranians. 
They  seldom  cultivate  the  same  piece  of  ground  more  than  three 
years  in  anything  that  requires  annual  planting.  The  only  plausible 
reason  given  was,  that  the  grass  become  so  thick  in  that  time  that  it 
choked  out  anything  they  planted.  For  planting  corn,  and  such 
products  as  are  liable  to  be  trouble  with  stock,  those  who  are  not 
willing  to  make  good  fences  seek  the  mountains,  where  fencing  is 
a  mere  trifle.  Alter  the  timber  and  undergrowth  is  all  cut  down, 
it  is  burned  off,  and  planted  before  the  wTeeds  spring  up  ;  and 
whatever  is  planted,  is  generally  put  in  so  thick  that  when  once 
fairly  up,  but  little  trouble  is  expected  in  the  cultivation.  Corn 
is  planted  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  but  has  its  best  time.  If 
planted  from  the  tenth  of  April  to  the  mid  die  of  June,  it  is  certain 
to  give  an  average  return  of  thirty  bushelis  per  acre-  Two  crops 
can  be  produced  annually  upon  the  same  ground.  Corn  is  usually 
planted  in  rows  three  feet  apart,  by  means  of  a  long  stick  sharp- 
ened, or  spiked  with  iron.  Three  grains  are  usually  dropped  in 
the  rows,  about  ten  or  fifteen  inches  apart,  and  covered  with  the 
foot.  Nothing  more  is  done,  only  to  cut  the  weeds  down  with 
the  machet,  should  they  get  the  start  of  the  corn.  The  planter 
then  hangs  up  in  his  hammock  forty  or  fifty  days  to  await  his  new 
crop.  When  ripe,  he  takes  his  pack  mule,  gathers  it,  neatly  slip- 
shucked,  and  carefully  packs  it  away  in  his  house  ;  or,  if  he  has 
no  pack  mule,  he  substitutes  his  own  shoulders  for  that  purpose. 
Sugar-eane  is  planted  in  rows  five  to  six  feet  wide,  by  laying  down 
the  stalks  and  covering  them  with  dirt.  From  each  joint  springs 
up  several  young  stalks  of  cane,  and  nothing  more  is  done  to  it, 
but  to  keep  down  the  weeds  and  bush  with  the  machet.  One 
planting  will  last  eight  or  ten  years,  at  least,  without  deterioration. 
The  usual  time  for  planting,  is  at  the  beginning  or  during  the 
rainy  season.  Cane  grows  to  perfection,  gives  two  crops  a  year, 
and  is  never  hurt  by  cold  or  frost.  I  put  down  the  annual  yield 
at  two  tons,  though  much  larger  figures  are  claimed  for  it.  Crops 
can  be  so  arranged  as  to  give  ripe  cane  every  month  in  the  year. 
Sugar  manufactories  are  on  the  style  of  the  Georgia  sorgham  mills. 
The  syrup  used  by  the  natives,  is  made  from  the  dulcy,  a  low  grade 
of  sugar,  when  desired  ;  but  they  generally  eat  the  dulcy  in  pre- 
ference. Our  people  prefer  the  syrup,  and  make  it  themselves,  at 
a  cost  of  sixteen  cents  per  gallon,  and,  to  my  taste,  preferable  to 
any  I  ever  eat. 

The  coffee  tree  is  set  out  during  the  rainy  season,  from  twelve 
to  sixteen  feet  apart,  shaded  with  plantains,  or  some  other  quick 
growth.  The  weeds  and  bush  are  kept  down,  and  the  tree  pruned, 
so  as  to  force  out  limbs,  where  needed ;  and  the  limbs  trained  so 
as  to  bend  over  to  wards*  the  ground,  so  that  the  coffee  can  be  easily 
gathered.  Coffee  gives  one  crop  a  yea.r,  and  in  the  few  cases  where 
tests  have  been  made  with  six  year  old  trees,  pays  about  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  acre.  It  is  gathered  by  stripping  off  the  pods 
(each  pod  contains  two  grains)  into  a  "bag,  and  cleaned  by  running 


•         29 

it  through  a  mill,  or  machine,  which  takes  off  the  hull ;  or,  after 
the  old  style,  by  soaking  it  in  water  and  washing  off  the  hull  with 
the  hand.  It  is  then  dried  in  the  shade,  and  ready  for  use.  The 
coffee  tree  pays  no  profit  until  the  tree  is  four  years  old.  Tho 
coffee  tree  is  rarely  ever  attacked  by  insects,  and  is  considered  a 
certain  crop;  and,  as  to  its  durability,  I  hare  already  stated  that 
I  saw  vigorous  trees  forty  years  old. 

Cocoa  or  chocolate  is  planted  in. the  same  way,  and  cultivated 
lik,e  the  coffee,  except  pruning  and  training  the  limbs.  This  tree 
is  shaded  by  the  mother  of  cocoa,  which  is  said  to  be  a  fine  wood, 
and  imperishable.  One  planting  of  the  cocoa  will  last  thirty  or 
forty  years.  The  fruit  grows  in  broaches  which  come  out  from 
the  body  of  the  tree  and  the  limbs  six  or  eight  inches  long,  each 
broach  containing  a  number  of  beans  the  size  of  a  pecan  nut. 
I  have  seen  as  many  as  thirty  beans  in  one  broach.  When  the 
fruit  turns  yellow  it  is  gathered,  the  beans  taken  out,  washed  and 
dried,  and  is  then  ready  for  market/unless  it  is  preferred  to  make 
them  into  cakes  ready  for  use.  When  prepared  in  that  way,  the 
article  is  worth  thirty-one  and  a  quarter  cents  per  pound  in  Ba- 
lize. 

Plantains,  or  as  they  might  well  be  termed,  lazy  bread,  grow  to 
perfection  everywhere  in  Honduras,  except  on  some  of  the  eleva- 
tions of  Gracius  and  Tegucegalpa.  This  tree  is  planted  without 
order,  and  yields  its  fruit  in  eight  months  after  it  is  planted.  It 
grows  sometimes  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  with  leaves  eight 
feet  long  and  two  feet  in  width.  The  Iruit  all  hangs  from  one 
stem,  which  is  frequently  three  or  four  feet  long  with  a  hundred 
plantains  on  it.  It  is  said  to  possess  more  nutriment  than  flour  ; 
and  when  once  planted  all  trouble  is  over  except  to  keep  the  tree 
thinned.  It  is  prepared  in  many  ways,  and  good  any  way  pre- 
pared ;  I  eat  it  fried,  baked,  boiled  and  made  into  custard.  It 
resembles  in  taste  when  fried  the  sweet  potatoe  or  yam  of  Geor- 
gia. One  acre  well  set  in  plantains  will  feed  an  ordinary  family. 
In  the  land  of  plantains  there  can  be  no  starvation  or  beggars  for 
bread  ;  and  here  I  will  remark  that  I  did  not  see  or  hear  of  a  beg- 
gar in  Honduras.  The  old  plantain  tree  dies  after  yielding  its 
fruit,  and  is  replaced  by  a  new  one  which  springs  up  from  the 
same  root. 

Bananas  flourish  about  as  the  plantain,  and  grows  in  the  same 
way,  and  cultivated  on  the  same  plan.  It  yields  an  abundance  of 
fruit,  and  is  esteemed  highly  among  the  natives.  In  flavor  it  ap- 
proximates nearer  the  cantelope than  anything  I  can  compare  it 
to. 

Rice  is  planted  about  as  it  is  in  the  States,  and  cultivated  after 
the  style  mentioned.  It  yields  forty  or  fifty  bushels  per  acre  of 
superior  quality. 

These  statements  are  all  based  upon  the  best  evidence  I  could 
obtain,  and  if  they  are  not  true  I  am  deceived, 


,  30 

I  have  already  noticed  the  growth  of  wheat,  tobacco,  and  vege- 
tables of  all  kinds,  and  deem  it  unnecessary  to  recapitulate  on  that 
subject.  I  have  also  noticed,  incidentally,  the  fruits  common  to 
the  country,  and  shall  trouble  but  little  further  on  that  subjeet.  It 
may  be  proper  to  state  that  the  pine  apple  and  cocoanut  are  best 
adapted  to  the  coast  range,  though  I  have  seen  them  nourishing 
in  the  interior  valleys.  I  was  informed  by  several  intelligent  gen- 
tlemen, that  over  sixty  varieties  of  fruit  are  common  to  Honduras. 
Besides  those  already  named  that  rank  high  among  the  people,  the 
marma  apple,  which  grows  to  great  size  upon  a  large  and  beautiful 
tree,  frequently  measuring  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  fur- 
nishing shade  equal  to  our  largest  yard  oaks.  The  sweet  lime  is  a 
fine  fruit  growing  on  trees  similar  to  the  orange  and  lemon.  The 
mango  is  a  fruit  much  relished  by  some  persons — the  size  of  a 
June  apple — and  grows  on  a  beautiful  shade  tree,  which  attains 
the  size  of  the  largest  apple  trees  of  the  States.  The  zoportse  is 
a  very  large  fruit,  fine  for  eating  and  preserving — growing  on  a 
tree  resembling  the  marma.  A  guava  orchard  resembles  a  peach 
orchard,  only  the  trees  are  somewhat  larger.  The  grape  we  are 
all  acquainted  with  ;  also  the  common  fig.  The  plum  is  about  as 
large  as  the  mogul,  but  the  tree  is  much  larger.  The  alligator 
pear  is  a  delicious  fruit,  but  I  disremember  the  tree.  The  citron, 
tamoran  and  guava  are  unsurpassed  for  preserving ;  spice,  ginger, 
and  pepper  are  products  of  the  country  ;  but  I  only  saw  the 
ginger.        *i 

I  saw  and  ate  the  common  sweet  potato,  which  resembles  our 
yams  in  appearance  and  flavor.  I  was  told  they  grew  large,  but 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  how  it  could  be  so.  They  are  planted  gen- 
erally on  the  mountain  slopes  by  dropping  the  potato  in  small 
holes  and  then  covered :  in  that  condition  they  are  left  to  grow, 
and  dug  when  wanted.  It  is  claimed  that  one  planting  is  only 
necessary  for  years.  Those  that  I  saw  was  nice  size  and  sweet, 
though  they  had  been  dried  two  or  three  days  in  the  sun.  The 
yam  grows  in  the  same  way  to  enormous  size :  I  saw  one  that 
weighed  thirty-seven  pounds,  which  was  a  curiosity  to  me,  but  not 
so  regarded  by  those  who  had  seen  them  much  larger.  The  yam, 
in  taste  and  appearance,  is  very  much,  when  cooked,  like  the  irish 
potato,  but  to  my  taste  not  quite  so  palatable.  Euchre  is  very 
much  like  the  yam  in  appearance,  not  so  large,  and  still  more  in- 
sipid. The  natives  make  an  excellent  starch  and  a  most  delicious 
pastry  out  of  it.  The  irish  potato  does  not  do  well  ;  they  are 
small,  but  very  well  tasted.  If  they  were  properly  planted  and 
cultivated  a  different  result  might  be  seen. 

Here  I  must  be  pardoned  for  the  re-introduction  of  snakes,  lizzards, 
volcanoes,  thunder,  lightning,  and  dogs,  as  my  attention  has  been 
especially  called  to  that  matter.  I  have  already  stated  that  poison- 
ous snakes  are  few  in  Honduras.  While  in  the  country  I  saw  but 
two  snakes,  neither  of  which  was  poisonous  or  larger  than  my 
finger.    I  heard  of  no  anacondas  or  boa  constrictors,  or  rattle- 


31 

snakes ;  and  although  I  inquired  everywhere  I  went,  for  snakes 
and  the  number  of  persons  bit  by  them,  I  never  heard  of  but  ono 
snake  bite — which  occurred  five  years  ago — and  was  invariably 
told  that  snakes  were  not  at  all  numerous.  I  saw  and  measured 
one  lizzard 'thirty-six  inches  long,  and  well  proportioned  for  a  liz- 
zard.  They  are  ashy  gray  and  sooty  brown  color,  with  a  kind  of 
top-knot  on  the  head.  They  are  eaten  by  some  of  the  natives  and 
prized  as  a  great  delicacy  ;  they  are  also  considered  valuable  for 
their  eggs  :  in  the  laying  season  they  are  caught  and  tied  up  until 
they  are  done  laying,  and  frequently  giving  from  three  to  four 
dozen  eggs,  resembling  those  of  the  hen.  When  she  ceases  to  lay 
is  killed,  and  she  and  her  eggs  fill  the  same  pot.  This  mammoth 
lizzard  is  shy,  harmless,  and  no  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the 
little  black  lizzard  of  the  States. 

As  some  persons  are  curious  on  the  dog  subject,  I  must  not  for- 
get to  post  them  on  that  point.  Nearly  every  family  has  more  or 
less  dogs  of  the  poorest,  most  despicable,  sharp  nosed,  fox-eared 
things  that  ever  disgraced  the  canine  family.  Earthquakes  are 
more  frequent  in  Central  America  than  in  the  States.  Honduras 
is  not  the  seat  of  an  active  volcano,  but  her  neighbor,  Salvador, 
has  one — the  effects  of  which  are  occasionally  felt  in  Honduras. 
A  slight  shock  was  felt  while  I  was  in  the  Republic,  but  did  not 
arouse  me  from  my  slumber.  I  was  told  by  the  natives  that  severe 
shocks  had  been  felt.  From  all  I  could  learn,  storms  are  not  more 
common  in  Honduras  than  in  Georgia,  but  the  thunder  and  light- 
ning is  said  to  be  more  terrific.  During  my  stay,  I  saw  it  lighten 
and  heard  it  thunder,  in  which  I  saw  nothing  the  least  appalling. 

I  desire  to  again  state  that  Medina  is  located  near  San  Pedro — 
directly  south,  and  near  the  head  of  the  Tocomecho,  which  flows 
into  ,the  Chamilicon,  and  that  the  Chamilicon  empties  into  the 
Caribbean,  near  Porto  Cobalos.  With  but  little  cost,  boats  can 
run  from  Porto  Cobalos  to  Medina,  a  distance  of  about  thirty 
miles,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  In  addition  to  this,  the  colony 
has  the  exclusive  right  of  the  navigation  of  the  Ulua  and  tributa- 
ries. This  river  is  navigable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  to  the 
union  of  the  Santiago  and  Blanco  with  the  Humua,  a  distance  of 
fifty  miles.  The  Blanco  carries  at  all  times  to  within  four  miles  of 
Lake  Yojou  three  feet  of  water,  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty 
miles. 

The  Santiago  is  navigable  half  the  year  with  a  steamer  drawing 
eighteen  inches  or  two  feet  water,  to  its  junction  with  the  Rio 
Santa  Barbara,  and  within  a  few  miles  of  the  city  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara the  Capitol  of  the  Department,  located  in  a  fine  section  of 
country. 

The  Humua  is  also  navigable  for  several  months  in  the  year  to 
its  junction  with  the  Rio  Saluco,  which  traverses  a  section  of 
country  said  to  be  rich  in  gold  and  other  minerals. 


32 

All  these  rivers  flow  through  a  beautiful  country  of  rich  val- 
leys abounding  with  the  finest  timbers,  and  along  the  range  of 
magnificent  mountains  rich  in  soil,  timber,  lime,  marble,  iron,  and 
copper,  and  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  coffee  and  grapes. 
Also  along  these  rivers,  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  mountains,  sar- 
saparilla,  vanilla,  india  rubber,  mahogany,  rosewood,  dye  woods, 
and  balsam  trees  are  found  in  the  greatest  abundance.  Rich  in 
natural  productions,  healthy  and  susceptible  of  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  nothing  more  remains  but  the  hand  of  industry  to 
make  Honduras  a  rich  and  happy  country. 

It  is  my  intention  to  go 'to  Honduras  sometime  this  fall,  and 
carry  my  family.  When  I  determine  on  the  time  I  will  start,  the 
public  ,will  be  advised ;  and  persons  desiring  to  go  will  conform  to 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  emigration  agent,  resident  in 
Honduras. 

If  any  person  should  desire  to  go  at  once,  if  they  will  call  on 
me,  I  will  be  pleased  to  put  them  in  possession  of  any  information 
I  have. 

With  the  view  of  protecting  the  colony  and  the  government  of 
Honduras  from  bad  men,  was  this  emigration  agent  appointed 
by  the  President  of  Honduras.  The  colony  wants  none  but  good 
men,  and  such  only  am  I  authorized  to  receive.  At  this  time  the 
fare  from  Atlanta  to  Omoa  is  $78.50  cents  in  currency.  I  hope  to 
be  able  to  reduce  the  fare  considerably ;  indeed,  I  feel  confident  of 
it  if  we  can  have  concert  of  action. 

On  my  return  to  the  States  I  passed  into  British  Honduras.  I 
saw  but  little  of  the  country,  and  therefore  can  say  nothing  ;  but 
in  exercising  the  right  of  choosing  for  myself,  for  many  reasons, 
I  prefer  the  Republic  of  Honduras. 

For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  any  who  may  desire  to  emigrate 
to  Honduras,  I  herewith  submit  the  report  of  Maj.  G.  Malcolm, 
endorsed  by  a  number  of  the  colonists,  and  I  may  say  every  one 
present  at  the  time  of  its  adoption. 

Up  to  the  present,  the  male  members  of  the  colony  are  well 
satisfied  ;  some  of  the  females  are  satisfied  and  others  are  not.  It 
is  no  child's  play  to  encounter  the  trials  of  a  new  country,  and  I 
hope  none  will  go  to  Honduras  upon  a  tour  of  pleasure,  or  with 
the  idea  of  sunlight  aiways  upon  their  path,  or  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  filling  their  pockets  with  glittering  gold  without  effort.  I 
hope  no  chicken-hearted  man  or  women  will  undertake  the  trip. 
The  colony  wants  men  and  women  of  nerve 

The  Republic  of  Honduras  contains  thirty-six  thousand  square 
miles,  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  Central  American  Governments, 
bounded  east,  south-east,  and  south  by  the  Republic  of  Nicaragua ; 
east,  north-east,  and  north  by  the  Caribbean  sea ;  west  by  Gaute- 
mala;  south  and  south-west  by  Salvador,  the  bay  Conshaquna, 
and  adjacent  islands  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  The  government  is  Re- 
publican in  form, — all  political  power  eminating  from  the  people, 
based  upon  a  written  Constitution,  and  exercised  by  three  separ- 


33 

ate  departments — the  Legislature,  Executive  and  Judicial .  The 
Chief  Executive  officer  is  the  President,  who  is  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army,  who  holds  his  term  of  office  four  years,  ineligi- 
ble to  a  second  term,  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  Re- 
public, and  vested  with  such  powers  as  are  delegated  by  the  Con- 
stitution— among  which  are  the  veto,  and  power  to  respite  and 
reprieve  in  certain  cases.  The  Constitution  prescribes  cer- 
tain qualifications  for  office.  The  President  must  be  the  head  of 
a  family,  thirty  years  old,  a  native  of  Central  America,  and  pos- 
sessed in  his  own  right  of  five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  property. 
The  Republic  is  divided  into  seven  political  divisions,  viz :  Co- 
mayaugua,  Santa  Barbara,  Yoro,  Olancho,  Tegucegalpa,  Choluc- 
tica,  and  Gracius.  Each  of  these  departments  are  presided  over 
by  a  Governor,  elected  for  two  years,  by  the  people  of  the  depart- 
ment. The  Governor  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  State,  thirty  years 
old,  and  possessed  of  property  in  his  own  right  to  the  value  of  one 
thousand  dollars.  The  law  making  powers  for  the  whole  Repub- 
lic resides  in  a  Congress  composed  of  deputies  elected  from  each 
department,  apportioned  according  to  population.  They  must  be  . 
thirty  years  old,  and  possessed  of  propety  of  the  value  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  Judiciary  consists  of  a  Supreme  Court,  com- 
posed of  three  Judges,  for  the  correction  of  errors.  Judges  of 
the  first  instance,  one  for  each  department,  and  Judges  of  the 
Peace,  one  for  each  municipality.  The  Supreme  Judges  are  elec- 
ted by  Congress,  and  commissioned  by  the  President ;  Judges  of 
the  first  instance  are  nominated  by  the  Supreme  Court  and  con- 
firmed by  Congress  ;  Judges  of  the  Peace  are  appointed  by  the 
Governors.  The  President,  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Judges 
of  the  first  instance,  and  Governors,  may  be  impeached  and  re- 
moved for  incompetency  or  malpractice  in  office,  Judges  of  the 
Peace  may  be  removed  by  the  Governors.  A  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  must  be  the  head  of  a  family,  thirty  years  old,  and 
possess  in  his  own  right  one  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  property. 
Judges  of  the  first  instance,  the  same  qualifications,  except  that 
they  may  be  appointed  at  twenty-five  years  of  age.  A  Judge  of 
the  Peace  must  have  the  qualifications  of  a  voter.  All  citizens  who 
have  attained  twenty  years  of  age,  free  from  convictions  or  indict- 
ments for  felony,  and  possess  in  their  own  right  two  hundred  dol- 
lars' worth  of  property,  are  entitled  to  vote.  After  1870  no  per- 
son  will  be  allowed  to  vote  who  cannot  read  and  write.  Young 
men  eighteen  years  old,  who  bear  certificates  of  honor  from  the 
superintendents  of  institutes  of  learning,  for  good  moral  character 
and  proficiency,  are  entitled  to  the  rights  of  franchise  and  to  hold 
office. 

The  Constitution  limits  the  powers  of  all  public  officers,  and 
points  out  the  mode  of  enlarging  or  contracting  their  privileges ; 
prescribes  the  manner  for  filling  all  vacancies  in  office ;  provides 
for  convening  Congress  in  extra  session,  the  call  of  conventions, 
raising  revenues,  &.  The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
3 


a4 

cannot  be  denied.  All  questions  of  law  and  fact  are  determined 
by  the  courts.  Appeals  may  be  made,  in  all  cases,  in  a  lower  court 
to  the  next  higher;  so  all  cases  may  gradually  arise  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  whose  dicision  is  final. 

The  religion  of  the  Republio  is  the  Christian  Catholic,  Apostolic 
Roman,  with  the  exclusion  of  the  public  exercise  of  all  others  ;  but 
does  not  prevent  worship  in  any  other  way  privately. 

The  foregoing  is  an  extract  from  the  Constitution,  chapter  3d, 
article  8th.  "  In  your  own  houses  you  may  worship  according  to 
your  own  mode  and  faith."  Time  only  can  heal  this  defect  in  the  or- 
ganic law.  Those  willing  to  go  to  Honduras  must  abide  a  time  with 
patience,  for  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  a  remedy  will  come. 
Each  pueblo  eleots  its  owns  municipal  officers — the  alcalde  and 
council.  The  laws  regulating  trade,  and  for  the  enforcement  of 
contracts,  are  well  defined  and  speedy. 

A  man  becomes  indebted  to-day,  to-morrow  he  may  be  called  to 
answer  why  judgment  should  not  be  entered  against  him.  A 
crime  committed  one  day  is  punished  the  next.  The  law  gives 
Mill  and  ample  protection  to  person  and  property,  and  as  the  Gov- 
ernment is  at  present  administered,  the  citizens  of  Honduras  can 
have  no  fear  on  that  subjeot.  The  laws  in  relation  to  real  estate 
are  well  settled,  plain,  and  easily  understood.  There  are  two  modes 
of  aoquiring  titles — one  by  purchase,  the  other  by  occupancy.  Any 
vacant  Government  lands  may  be  occupied  by  any  person  who  de- 
sire it. 

Occupancy  gives  titles  to  the  extent  of  enclosures,  and  as  long 
as  kept  enclosed:  whenever  enclosures  fail,  titles  cease.  This  pro- 
priety title  may  be  transferred  indefinitely.  Titles  by  purchase 
vest  an  absolute  fee  in  the  lands.  In  all  cases  of  grant  or  sale 
by  the  Government,  the  purchaser  is  required  to  extinguish  pro- 
priety titles,  should  any  exist.  The  title  in  fee  conveys  every  in- 
terest. 

The  laws  against  crime,  such  as  murder,  rape,  arson,  laroeny, 
and  breaches  of  the  peace,  are  rigidly  enforced  ;  the  three  first 
punishable  with  death  by  shooting,  but  may  be  commuted  by 
Congress.  Miner  grades  of  offences  are  punishable  with  the  lash, 
confinement  in  the  stocks,  or  labor  on  the  publio  roads. 

In  all  cases  you  have  the  right  of  defence  and  appeal,  and,  for 
satisfactory  causes,  a  continuance  for  such  time  as  the  Judge  may 
set.  A  small  standing  army  is  kept  up  for  common  defence,  and 
stationed  at  the  several  garrisons  in  the  Republic.  The  armament 
is  very  common,  and  the  soldiery  unskilled  in  tactics.  Revenue 
for  the  support  of  the  Government  is  raised  from  duties  on  exports 
and  imports,  tonage  dues,  mahogany  cuttings,  liquor  license, 
stamped  paper,  and,  I  believe,  a  small  poll  tax.  It  is  deemed  ad- 
visable by  the  Government  to  raise  revenue  for  its  support  from 
such  sources  as  will  not  burden  the  people.  At  present,  they  have 
no  land  tax, 'no  tax  on  cattle,  stock,  produce,  or  income.  At  this 
time  the  Government  of  Honduras  has  not  enough  money  in  the 


35 

treasury  to  pay  the  public  officers.  The  cabinet  officers  are  the 
ministers  of  the  Hacienda,  or  Secretary  of  State,  Minister  of  War, 
and  Secretary  of  the  Treasuary. 

The  laws  regulating  labor  are  strictly  enforced  :  in  the  absence 
of  an  express  agreement  between  the  parties  of  the  number  of 
hours  to  work,  the  law  fixes  the  time  at  eight  hours  per  day.  If 
a  special  contract  is  made  to  work  any  given  number  of  hours,  it 
will  be  enforced  by  the  courts.  But  it  is  the  safest  plan  to  make 
labor  contracts  before  the  alcalde ;  for  when  so  made,  he  forces 
the  performance  of  the  labor,  if  need  be,  by  summary  punishment. 

The  United  States  is  represented  in  Honduras  by  a  minister, 
consul,  and  deputy  consuls.  The  minister,  Mr.  Rusoe,  resides  at 
Tegucegalpa ;  the  consul,  Don  Carlos  Fallin,  (and  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  many  acts  of  kindness)  resides  at  Omoa,  and  is  now 
improving  property  at  Medina. 

The  aggregate  population  of  Honduras  is  about  400,000.  I 
am  not  prepared  to  classify  and  give  the  relative  proportion  of 
races.  The  Spanish  and  Indian  are  strongly  represented;  but 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  mixed  bloods,  of  Spaniard  and  In- 
dian, prevail. 

The  negro  race  is  much  in  the  minority ;  indeed,  outside  of  a  small 
carib  settlement,  on  the  coast  and  a  few  coast  towns,  negroes  are 
scarce.  In  this,  the  Republic  of  Honduras  is  unlike  its  neighbor, 
British  Honduras,  where  nine-tenths  of  the  population  are  cariba 
of  pure  ebony. 

The  relation  of  Honduras  with  all  governments  are  of  the  most 
amicable  character.  In  common  with  the  five  Central  American 
Governments,  Honduras  is  represented  by  a  minister  in  the  United 
States  and  the  European  governments. 

The  currency  of  Honduras  is  gold,  silver,  and  copper — much  of 
the  copper  contains  a  considerable  per  cent,  of  silver.  The  gold 
and  silver  of  the  country  is  generally  sold  in  bullion,  or  coined  at 
foreign  mints.  The  greater  part  of  the  silver  currency  is  denomi- 
nated cut  coin,  and  passes  in  any  shape.  Copper  is  found  by  the 
natives,  and  by  means  of  a  rude  crucible,  run  into  pig,  and  made 
into  rough  coin,  at  Comayagua.  Although  against  the  law,  the 
natives  sometimes  make  it  into  coin  themselves,  which  passes  as  cur- 
rent as  any,  if  the  impress  of  a  mountain  and  the  rising  sun  can 
be  seen  upon  it.  It  is  said  by  the  natives  and  travelers  that  native 
copper  and  iron  is  found  in  the  country. 

The  visible  wealth  of  Honduras  consists  in  lands  and  stock — 
one  man  sometimes  owning  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  acres 
and  several  thousand  head  of  cattle.  Wealth  is  not  generally  dif- 
fused among  the  people. 

No  person  can  be  held  in  durance  vile  longer  than  forty-eight 
hours  without  a  trial,  if  required,  unless  public  justioe  imperatively 
demand  postponement,  which  fact  is  decided  by  the  court. 

All  professional  men,  whether  of  law,  medicine,  or  mechanics, 
by  reason  of  their  profession,  are  esteemed  honorables,  and  classed 
with  the  literati  of  the  oountry. 


36 

One  physician  will  do  the  practice  within  an  area  of  seventy- 
five  or  a  hundred  miles.  Lawyers  reside  only  in  the  large  cities, 
and  practice  almost  entirely  in  the  Supreme  Court. 

But  few  of  any  professions  are  found  in  the  Republic,  and  it  is 
said  that  when  they  get  a  job  they  never  forget  to  charge. 

I  have  been  forced  to  throw  these  ideas  together  under  very 
embarrassing  circumstances,  but  I  trust  they  will  be  understood. 
Nothing  here  set  down  in  malice  or  with  hope  of  fee  or  reward, 
other  than  as  reward  comes  by  the  development  of  a  coimtry  which 
I  expect  to  make  my  home  in  the  future. 

The  following  is  Major  Malcolm's  letter  to  General  Henderson : 

Medina,  Honduras,  May  25th,  1867. 

General Henderson. 

Gen'l, — Your  favor  of  April  the  10th  has  been  received,  asking 
information  in  regard  to  the  country,  or  the  laws  controlling  emi- 
gration, and  as  I  find  it  impossible  to  answer  the  numerous  inqui- 
ries of  the  same  character,  I  deem  it  proper  to  answer  all  in  the 
form  of  a  circular,  which  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  addressing 
to  you.  Your  question  in  relation  to  climate,  form  of  government, 
water,  character  of  soil,  products,  mineral  wealth,  and  means  of 
transportation,  I  will  answer  categorically.  First,  the  climate  is 
generally  delightful.  The  average  temperature  at  Comayagua, 
Tegucegalpa,  and  Ju  Tecalpa,  being  about  74°. 

MEAN  RANGE  OF  TEMPERATURE  AT  COMAYAGUA. 

Month.  6  a.  m. 

April ,.75°  r 

May 75°  5' 

June 74°  4' 

That  is  to  say,  that  during  the  above  months,  the  temperature 
from  6  a.  m.  until  the  same  hour  p.  m.  was  75°.  The  highest,  or 
maximum  point  touched  by  the  thermometer  during  those  months 
was  88°;  the  lowest,  or  minimum  68° — an  extreme  range  of  20°. 

In  its  physical  aspect  and  configuration  of  surface,  it  has  very 
justly  been  observed  that  it  is  an  epitome  of  all  other  countries 
and  climates  of  the  globe.  High  mountain  ranges,  isolated  volca- 
nic peaks,  elevated  table  lands,  deep  valleys,  broad  and  fertile 
plains,  and  extensive  alluvials  are  here  found  grouped  together,  re- 
lieved by  large  and  beautiful  lakes  and  majestic  rivers,  teeming 
with  animal  and  vegetable  life,  and  possessing  every  variety  of 
climate,  from  torrid  heat  to  the  cool  and  bracing  temperature  of 
eternal  spring.  It  is  proper  here  to  state  that  the  above  named 
months  are  the  summer  months  of  Honduras. 

2.  The  form  of  government  is  republican — the  Constitution  being 
modeled  after  that  of  the  United  States,  with  some  improvements 


12  m. 

6  p.  m. 

81°  9' 

80°  »' 

81°  2' 

78°  5' 

78°  5' 

79°  5' 

37 

on  that  instrument.  For  instance,  the  President  is  ineligible  to 
a  second  term;  and  several  other  improvements  on  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.      • 

The  government  and  people  are  in  favor  of  emigration — offering 
greater  inducements  to  emigrants  than  were  ever  offered  before — 
having  established  a  Bureau  of  Emigration ,  and  appointed  a  Secretary, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  receive  and  place  in  possession  of  lands,  such  emi- 
grants as  can  and  do  comply  with  the  regulations  of  the  bureau. 
The  Secretary  has  power  to  appoint  local  agents  in  other  coun- 
tries, whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  give  certificates  of  grants  of  lands 
and  exemption  for  limited  time  from  taxes,  military  duty,  etc. 
The  applicants,  to  insure  attention,  must  satisfy  the  agents  beyond 
doubt,  that  they  are  men  of  good  moral  character,  and  by  so  doing, 
will  be  granted  homes  under  the  following  regulations  and  condi- 
tions ;  but,  in  all  cases,  where  the  agents  may  have  been  imposed 
upon  by  misrepresentation,  the  office  reserves  the  right  to  withhold 
patents. 

REGULATIONS  AND  CONDITIONS  UPON  WHICH  GRANTS  AND  PRIVILEGES 
HEREIN  ENUMERATED  WILL  BE  GRANTED. 

1st.  Requisite  of  applicant — Good  moral  character. 

2d.  Avowed  intentions  of  becoming  citizens  of  the  Republic. 

These  requisites  being  complied  with,  the  following  rights  and 
privileges  will  be  granted  : 

1st.  150  acres  of  land  to  each  head  of  family  for  actual  settle- 
ment, and  100  acres  to  single  men. 

2d.  The  right  of  citizenship  accompanies  each  grant. 

3d.  Exemption,  for  two  years  from  date  of  arrival,  from  all 
taxes. 

4th.  Exemption  from  military  duty  for  four  years. 

5th.  The  right  to  bring  into  the  country  all  articles  for  their 
own  use,  free  of  duty. 

6th.  The  right  to  bring  in  free  of  duty,  for  eight  years,  all  kinds 
of  machinery  for  manufacturing  purposes,  merchandise,  etc. 

1th.  The  exclusive  privilege  of  introducing  and  using  any  ma- 
chinery not  already  in  use  in  the  country,  for  eight  years,  unless 
the  privilege  has  been  granted. 

8th.  Right  to  export  any  article  free  of  export  duty,  from  any 
port  in  the  Republic  for  eight  years. 

9th.  The  right  to  use  from  the  public  domain,  timber  necessary 
for  ordinary  purposes,  etc.,  etc. 

10th.  Reasonable  additional  amounts  of  land  will  be  made  to 
persons  of  large  families. 

11th.  The  right  to  purchase  of  the  public  domain  250  acres  addi- 
tional at  25  cents  per  acre. 

12th.  All  heads  of  families  will  be  required  to  pay,  on  receiving 
their  patents,  the  sum  of  $5,  and  single  men  $2  50,  to  defray  ex- 
penses of  printing  and  translating,  surveying,  etc 


38 

The  following  is  the  form  of  application  to  be  presented  at  this 
office,  or  to  Col.  E.  P.  Watkins,  Judge  T>t  P.  Ferguson,  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  or  J.  W.  Goldsmith,  Stone  Mountain  : 

,  Agent  Bureau  of  Emigration, 

Republic  Honduras  : 

Sir, — In  conformity  with  the  laws  of  Honduras,  and  your  pub- 
lished instructions,  dated  Medina,  Honduras,  May  25th,  1867,  I 
here  file  my  application,  wishing  to  become  a  citizen  of  Honduras, 
and  sharing  the  benefits  conferred  upon  emigrants. 

Name  of  applicant. 

No,  of  family. 

No.  of  males  over  12  years  of  age. 

No.  of  acres  wanted. 

Where  located. 

For  what  purpose. 

Place  of  nativity. 

(Place  and  date.)  (Signature.) 

The  construction  placed  by  the  bureau  on  articles  granting  lands 
for  actual  settlement,  is  that  it  does  not  require  the  actual  resi- 
dence on  the  land ;  if  the  parties  reside  in  the  Republic,  and  are 
engaged  in  business,  that  is  sufficient  to  hold  the  land. 

3.  The  water  is  not  so  cold  as  the  springs  or  well  water  of 
North  Georgia,  but  is  exceedingly  pure,  free-stone  in  character, 
and  very  abundant.  As  a  general  thing,  you  cannot  travel  but 
few  miles  in  any  direction  without  crossing  sparkling  streams, 
flowing  over  pebbly  bottoms.  Sites  for  mills  and  manufactories 
are  very  numerous. 

4.  The  character  of  the  soil  I  am  unable  to  give  you  in  scienti- 
fic phraseology,  as  I  have  not  as  yet  had  it  analysed.  In  appear- 
ance it  is  a  dark  loam,  from  four  to  twelve  feet  deep,  on  a  dark 
clay  foundation,  and  is  exceedingly  productive.  I  will  give  you 
an  example :  a  Mr.  DeBalain,  from  New  Orleans,  planted  nine 
months  ago  4£  acres  of  sea  island  cotton,  and  has  picked  out  6,000 
pounds  of  clean  lint  cotton,  which  is  worth  in  Liverpool  60  cents 
per  pound,  which  makes  the  nice  sum  of  $3,600.  He  tells  me  his 
expenses  of  living,  price  of  land,  with  a  large  family,  was  not  over 
$600,  which  leaves  $3,000  net. 

5.  The  products  are  as  varied  as  the  products  of  the  world  are 
numerous.  Cotton,  both  sea  island  and  short  staple,  grow  to 
great  perfection,  side  by  side,  yielding  without  the  use  of  the 
plow,  from  two  to  three  bales  of  500  pounds  each.  The  fibre  of 
both  being  exceedingly  fine.  Col.  Watkins  counted  on  one  stalk 
in  Mr.  DeBalain's  patch  600  bowls.  This  was  the  first  crop.  I  am 
told  by  citizens  that  2d,  3d  and  4th  crops  are  better  than  the  first. 
Sugar  Cane  grows  to  great  perfection,  yielding  from  4,000  to 
6,000  pounds  of  sugar  per  acre,  and  does  not  require  replanting 
in  ten  or  fifteen  years.  Corn  grows  finely,  and  yields  well,  but  I 
have  no  certain  data  upon  which  to  base  a  statement  of  two  orops. 


39 

Wheat  has  not  been  tried  in  this  valley,  but  in  other  districts 
where  it  is  cultivated,  yields  fifteen  bushels  to  baftPpeck  seed 
sown.  Vegetables  of  all  description  grow  to  perfection.  Coffee, 
equal  to  Moco,  grows  with  little  care.  Of  the  numerous 
fruits  I  shall  only  mention  the  orange,  lemon,  lime,  pine  apple, 
cocoanut,  mango,  wild  plum,  melons  of  all  kinds.  There  are  sixty 
different  kinds  of  fruits — many  of  them  very  delicious.  The  nat- 
ural products  of  the  forest  are  numerous,  and  will  soon  become 
items  of  wealth,  both  tooitizeus  and  country.  Mahogany,  rosewood 
and  liquid  amber,  (the  last  named  article  almost  unknown  in  the 
United  States,  is  one  of  the  finest  medicines  for  many  diseases, 
ever  yet  discovered,)  vanillo,  sarsaparilla,  and  india  rubber  abound 
within  the  limits  of  the  valley. 

6.  The  health  of  the  country  is  extremely  good ;  apart  from  a 
light  billiou8  attack,  which  yields  promptly  to  medicine,  there  are 
few  other  diseases.  And  the  average  length  of  life  here  is,  I 
think,  from  11  to  20  years  longer  than  in  the  United  States. 

7.  The  mineral  resources  of  Honduras  are  not  equaled,  by  the 
same  extent  of  country,  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  Iron,  pure  and 
in  great  quantities  ;  coal,  silver,  copper,  gold,  opal,  platina,  amber, 
and  tin  exist. 

8.  The  means  of  transportation  are  poor — none  other  as  yet  but 
the  patient  pack  mule.  We  will  soon  have  steamers  on  the  rivers, 
and  wagon  roads  opened.  In  this  connection,  I  will  say  that  this 
country  only  lacks  people  to  make  it  the  Eden  of  the  world.  That 
the  emigration  will  meet  with  some  privations  the  first  year  none 
will  doubt ;  yet  those  privations,  in  my  estimation,  are  over-bal- 
anced by  the  immediate  benefits  derived. 

I  am  unable  to  give  you  a  more  extensive  description  of  the 
country,  but  for  a  more  general  outline,  I  refer  you  to  the  follow- 
ing description  of  this  State  by  Mr.  Squirs  : 

DEPARTMENT  OF  SANTA  BARBARA. 

Districts. — Omoa,  Santa  Barbara,  Yojoa,  San  Pedro. 

Principal  Towns. — Santa  Barbara,  Yojoa,  Omoa,  San  Pedro, 
Sula  Quimestan,  Trinidad,  Fluma,  Sacapa. 

This  department  lies  to  the  northward  of  Gracius  and  Comay- 
agua,  and  intervenes  between  those  departments  and  the  Bay  of 
Hoduras.  It  is  traversed  by  several  large  streams  ;  the  Ulua 
runs  through  it  from  south  to  north,  and  the  Blanco,  Santiago, 
Santa  Barbara,  Chamilicon  also  flow  through  it  in  other  directions. 
The  valleys  of  these  rivers  afford  large  tracts  of  fine  and  fertile 
lands ;  well  wooded  and  capable  of  vast  productions.  The  great 
plain  of  Sula,  which  may  be  said  to  commence  at  Yojoa,  is  a  dis- 
tinguishing feature  of  this  department.  It  is  not  only  of  great  ex- 
tent, but  of  unbounded  capacity.  The  early  accounts  of  the 
country  represent  it  to  have  been  densely  populated  by  the  abori- 
gines.   It  is  now  mostly  covered  by  heavy  forest,  relieved  only  by 


40 

a  few  narrow  patches  cultivated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  towns, 
which  are  scattered  on  the  camine  real.  This  forest  abounds  with 
invaluable  wood,  and  from  it  a  greater  part  of  the  mahogany  ex- 
ported from  Honduras  has  been  derived.  The  Chamilicon  and 
Ulua  are  the  natural  eharmels  through  which  the  mahogany  has 
been,  and  still  is,  carried  to  the  sea  side.  That  portion  of  the 
plain  of  Sula,  lying  to  the  eastward  of  the  river  Ulua,  is  inclu- 
ded in  the  department  of  Yoro.  Taking  it  as  a  whole,  it  may 
be  estimated  as  having  a  base  sixty  or  seventy  miles  on  the  sea 
shore,  reaching  inland  in  the  form  of  a  triangle  to  Yojoa,  a  dis- 
tance of  upwards  of  TO  miles,  and  comprising  an  area  of  not  less 
than  fifteen  hundred  square  miles.  In  the  future  development  of 
the  country,  this  plain  will  attract  the  attention,  not  less  on  ac- 
count of  its  natural  products  than  its  easy  access  through  good 
ports,  its  navigable  rivers,  and  rich  and  easy  cultivated  soil, 
adapted  to  the  production  of  cotton,  rice,  sugar,  cocoa,  and  the 
other  great  staples  of  the  tropics. 

"  A  variety  of  the  cocoa,  called  cocoa  mico,  and  said  to  be 
equal,  if  not  superior  to  the  celebrated  cocoa  of  Nicaragua  and 
Soconusco,  is  indigenous  here,  and  the  inhabitants  draw  their  sup- 
ply from  the  wild  trees  in  the  forest.  The  vanilla  and  sarsaparilla 
are  also  abundant.  Leopal  trees,  India  rubber,  rosewood,  dragons 
blood,  and  other  useful  trees  and  precious  woods,  are  found  in 
profusion,  and  will  ultimately  contribute  to  swell  the  exports,  and 
augment  the  wealth  of  the  State. 

"  Vast  numbers  of  palms  of  every  variety,  relieve  the  monotony 
of  the  forest  with  their  graceful  forms.  At  one  point  on  the  banks 
of  the  Wena,  a  few  leagues  above  its  mouth,  is  a  natural  park  of 
the  cocoa  nut  palm,  which  extends  along  the  river  for  several 
miles. 

"  In  the  neighborhood  of  Yojoa,  the  country  rises  by  a  series 
of  magnificent  terraces,  which  open  out  in  broad,  undulating  sa- 
vannas. Their  soil,  apart  from  their  natural  adaptation  for  grazing 
purposes,  admits  of  profitable  cultivation.  These  terraces  are 
represented  as  constituting  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the  country 
around  the  city  of  Santa  Barbara,  where  the  principal  part  of  the 
population  of  the  department  is  concentrated. 

"  The  great  dependent  mountain  chain  of  Merendon,  elsewhere 
alluded  to  as  dividing  the  valleys  of  the  Chamilicon  and  Montague, 
and  terminating  abruptly  on  the  sea  at  Omoa,  affords  on  its  slopes 
favorable  conditions,  both  of  soil  and  climate,  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  grains  and  fruits  of  sugar  latitudes. 

"  It,  moreover,  seems  to  be  rich  in  gold,  which  is  found  more  or 
less  abundantly,  in  all  the  streams  which  flow  down  its  southern 
declivity. 

"  In  the  neighborhood  of  Quinristau,  there  are  washings  which 
have  long  been  celebrated  for  their  productiveness. 

"  In  that  portion  of  this  chain,  back  of  Omoa,  and  overlooking 
the  plains  of  Sula,  are  vast  beds  of  white  marble,  of  spotless 


41 

purity,  fine,  compact,  and  susceptible  of  excpiisite  finish.  It  more 
closely  resembles  the  marble  of  Carrara,  in  Italy,  than  any  of  those 
found  in  the  United  States.  It  is  easy  of  access,  and  may  be  ob- 
tained in  any  desired  quantity. 

"  The  fine,  capacious  harbor  of  Peurto  Cabalos,  and  the  small, 
but  secure  port  of  Omoa,  both  fall  in  this  department.  They  are 
fully  described  under  the  sub-division  of  '  Ports  of  Honduras.' 

"  The  inhabitants  are  chiefly  devoted  to  raising  cattle,  of  which 
large  numbers  are  exported  to  Belize,  Yucatan,  and  driven  into 
Guatemala,  where  they  commaud  prices  ranging  from  five  dollars 
to  ten  dollars  per  head.  A  large  portion  of  the  people  in  the 
towns,  in  the  plain  of  Sula,  or  bordering  upon  it,  are  employed  in 
the  mahogany  cuttings  ;  while  a  few,  chiefly  Indians,  collect  sarsa- 
parilla,  or  occupy  themselves  at  intervals  in  washing  gold.  Alto- 
gether, the  department  is  healthy,  and  possessed  of  vast  resources, 
the  value  of  which  is  enhanced  by  the  natural  facilities  which  it 
possesses,  both  in  respect  to  geographical  position  and  the  means 
of  interior 'communication." 

P.  S.  We  were  ten  days  in  traveling  from  Atlanta  to  San  Pedro, 
via  New  Orleans  and  Omoa.  San  Pedro  is  54  miles  from  Omoa, 
and  half  the  distance  is  over  the  mountains.  When  we  open 
Peurto  Cabalos,  the  trip,  via  Mobile,  can  be  made  easily  in  seven 
days. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

G.  Malcolm. 

Medina,  Honduras,  May  20th,  1867. 
We  have  this  day  heard  read  the  foregoing  circular  of  Maj.  G. 
Malcolm,  addressed  to  Gen.  R.  J.  Henderson,  of  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia, and  from  personal  observation,  and  information  which  we  con- 
sider perfectly  reliable,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  giving  the  same 
our  unqualified  endorsement. 


C.  A.  Thrower, 

E.  DuBaker, 

J.  M.  Perkerson, 

W.  J.  Walters, 

Henry  II.  Briers, 

B.  0.  Queen, 

J.  T.  Williford, 

John  W.  Trammel, 

H.  C.  Hill, 

P.  T.  Goldsmith, 

A.  J.  Haralson, 

B.  E,  Maddox, 

James  L.  Watkins, 

W.  T.  Jones, 

A.  J.  Hill, 

J.  M.  Davidson, 

P.  H.  Wade, 

L.  B.  Watkins, 

L.  Watkins, 

T.  M.  Henderson, 

E.  M.  Burford, 

J.  B.  Jett,  (by  Henderson) 

J.  M.  Tippen, 

C.  G.  Pirkle. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  proposed  corporation  for  the  ob- 
jects herein  specified : 

Whereas,  the  Government  of  the  Republic  of  Honduras,  by 
virtue  of  official  power  under  the  constitution,  has  issued  a  decree 


42 

under  the  signature  of  the  President,  countersigned  by  the  Minis- 
ter of  the  Hacienda,  and  stamped  with  the  great  seal  of  the  Re- 
public, granting  to  Green  Malcolm,  Esq.,  and  his  associates,  the 
exclusive  right  and  privilege  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  for  the 
manufacture  of  cotton,  wool  or  other  fibres,  into  fabrics  of  any 
and  all  descriptions,  within  the  entire  Republic;  the  exclusive  navi- 
gation of  the  rivers  Ulua,  Chamilicon  and  their  tributaries,  for 
the  term  of  eight  years ;  the  exclusive  right  of  the  introduction 
and  establishment  of  saw  mills,  shingle  machines,  tin  factories,  &c; 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  introduction  of  wagons,  carriages, 
and  buggies,  for  the  period  of  eight  years  ;  the  exclusive  right  of 
the  manufacture  of  spirituous  liquor,  by  the  use  of  the  log  still, 
for  the  period  of  three  years  ;  the  exclusive  right  for  the  refining 
of  sugar,  for  eight  years  ;  and  a  free  port  for  all  imports  at  the  port 
of  Porto  Cabalos,  and  the  right  of  free  exports  of  all  articles  from 
any  part  of  the  Republic  for  the  term  of  three  years. 

Now  for  the  better  carrying  into  effect  the  objects  aforesaid, 
the  following  named  persons,  to-wit :  Green  Malcolm,  Henry  H. 
Briers,  George  W.  Walters,  Dr.  L.  Watkins,  T.  M.  Henderson,  and 
others,  do  hereby  covenant  and  agree  to  form  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany, for  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  wool,  and  such  other  fibres 
as  may  be  deemed  advisable  ;  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  line 
of  boats  between  the  Republic  of  Honduras  and  the  United 
States,  or  such  other  governments  as  said  company  may  hereafter 
designate ;  also  for  the  navigation  of  the  rivers  aforesaid,  and 
the  establishment  of  such  other  enterprises  as  authorized  by  the 
charter,  and  agreed  to  by  the  company. 

1.  The  company  shall  be  known  and  styled  the  Honduras  Man- 
ufacturing and  Navigation  Company,  to  be  located  at  the  city  cjf 
Medina,  in  the  department  of  Santa  Barbara,  in  the  Republic  of 
Honduras,  with  branches  and  offices  at  such  points  as  may  be  de- 
signated by  said  company,  and  shall  do  and  perform  all  business  of 
the  company  under  the  title  aforesaid,  and  the  seal  of  the  com- 
pany. 

2.  The  capital  stock  of  said  company  shall  be  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  divided  into  one  thousand  shares  of  two 
hundred  dollars  each. 

3.  Books  of  subscription  shall  be  opened  by  such  agents  as  may 
be  designated  by  any  two  or  more  stockholders,  for  such  places 
either  in  Honduras  or  the  United  States,  or  any  other  govern- 
ment as  by  them  may  be  prescribed,  with  power  to  grant  certifi- 
cates of  stock,  and  such  other  powers  as  they  may  deem  proper 
to  confer.  Said  books  of  subscription  shall  be  kept  open  until 
the  1st  of  October,  1867,  unless  all  the  stock  is  taken  prior  to 
that  time. 

4.  When  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  capital  stock  is  paid  in,  said 
company  may  elect  permanent  officers  and  proceed  to  business.  The 
officers  shall  consist  of  a  President,  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  Board 
of  Directors.     The  President  shall  be  elected  every  two  years  by 


43 

the  Board  of  Directors;  and  the  Directors  shall  be  elected  every 
by  the  Stockholders.  In  all  elections  one  share  shall  be 
entitled  to  a  vote,  and  any  Stockholder  in  any  election  may  be 
represented  by  proxy ;  provided,  that,  in  all  cases,  said  proxy  be 
authorized  by  power  of  attorney,  and  reside  in  the  Republic  of 
Honduras. 

5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Stockholders,  exercise  a  general  supervision  over  the 
affairs  of  the  company,  and  see  to  the  faithful  enforcement  of  all 
rules  and  regulations  of  the  company. 

6.  The  President  and  Directors  shall  have  the  power  to  make 
such  by-laws,  rules  and  reg illations  for  the  government  and  man- 
agement of  the  company,  as  may  be  deemed  expedient. 

7.  The  Directors  shall  give  a  general  direction  to  all  the  busi- 
ness of  said  company,  and,  in  conjunction  with  the  President,  may 
change,  alter,  or  revise  any  rule  or  regulation  of  the  company, 
or  break,  alter,  or  change  the  seal  of  the  company  at  pleasure. 

8.  Two-thirds  of  the  Stockholders  shall  constitute  a  quorum 
for  the  transaction  of  all  business  ;  shall  have  the  power  to  call  in 
the  unpaid  stock  in  such  installments  as  may  be  prescribed  by 
said  Board ;  and  should  any  stockholder  refuse  or  neglect  to  pay 
any  installment  demanded,  the  twenty-five  per  cent  of  stock  paid 
in  may  be  forfeited,  or  suit  may  be  instituted  against  such  delin- 
quent and  recovered  out  of  any  property  he  may  possess,  as  by 
the  laws  in  such  cases  made  and  provided. 

9.  No  calls  shall  be  made  for  installments  upon  the  stock  of 
the  colonist  prior  to  the  first  day  of  January,  1S6S  ;  but  this  re- 
servation shall  not  hinder  or  prevent  the  organization  of  said  com- 
pany at  an  earlier  day,  nor  from  proceeding  with  the  business  of 
the  company ;  and  upon  failure  to  pay  such  assessments  as  the  di- 
rectors may  require,  not  to  exceed  fifty  per  cent.,  at  the  time  sj>e- 
cified,  the  same  shall  be  forfeited. 

10.  The  agents  appointed  shall  in  no  case  grant  certificates  of 
stock  until  twenty-five  per  cent  upon  the  stock  subscribed  for  has 
been  paid  in,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  the  temporary 
Board  this  day  appointed  may  prescribe. 

11.  Five  shares  of  stock  in  this  company  i3  hereby  certified  and 
set  apart  to  G.  Malcolm,  Esq.,  to  cover  expenses  incurred  in  pro- 
curing the  charter  for  said  company,  and  as  a  tribute  to  the  un- 
tiring energies  of  a  faithful  pioneer. 

12.  As  soon  as  ten  persons  have  subscribed  for  stock  in  said 
company,  the  stockholders  may  elect  a  temporary  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, to  consist  of  three  persons,  who  shall  have  power  to  enact 
rules  and  regulations  for  the  general  direction  and  management  of 
said  company,  and  to  exercise  the  power  conferred  in  the  third  ar- 
ticle of  this  covenant. 

13.  All  the  property  of  the  stockholders  shall  be  bound  for  the 
payment  of  the  debts  of  the  company,  to  the  extent  of  his  stock. 


44 


The  following  points  are  subjoined,  which  I  omitted  in  the  body 
of  my  report : 

The  Constitution  of  Honduras  excludes  all  priests  from  office, 
and  legitimatises  their  issue. 

I  saw  no  wells  of  water  in  the  country  :  the  only  reason  assigned 
is  that  the  water  from  the  streams  can  be  obtained  with  less  trouble, 
and  is  as  good  as  they  want.  I  saw  but  three  springs  in  the  val- 
leys, neither  of  which  were  flush,  and  from  my  own  observations, 
concluded  that  water  for  all  purposes  must  be  supplied  by  the 
streams,  though  the  natives  told  me  that  springs  could  be  found 
in  many  places  in  the  valleys. 

It  is  thought  by  the  natives  that  water  can  be  supplied  by  com- 
mon wells  :  my  opinion  is  to  the  reverse,  except  by  artesian  wells, 
for  which  I  think  many  of  the  valleys  are  peculiarly  adapted. 

Butter,  such  as  is  made  in  the  States,  is  not  manufactured  in 
Honduras  by  the  natives,  and  was  a  matter  of  much  interest  to 
them  when  they  saw  it  made  by  our  people. 

The  butter  used  by  them  is  nothing  more  than  thick  cream  sea- 
soned with  salt,  which  I  was  very  fond  of. 

Cheese  is  made  by  pressing  clabbered  cream.  When  fresh  it  is 
very  good,  but  soon  becomes  soured. 

Churns,  such  as  used  in  the  States,  are  unknown  among  natives. 
They  have  no  chimneys  or  fire-places  to  their  houses.  They  cook 
upon  a  range  built  in  one  corner  of  the  house,  or  a  kitchen  con- 
tiguous. The  saddle  mules  move  with  great  ease„  and  perfectly 
safe. 


